Magnetic Attractions
by Infatuated-Simplicity
Summary: Tsunade decides that Sakura has been single for far too long. With the help of a jutsu, can Tsunade shove her apprentice in the right direction for love and hopefully a couple of adorable grandkids? NejiXSakura.
1. Tsunade's Office

Author's note: Sakura is about 19 and Neji is 20. We can safely say that they are casual friends. I am not sure of the other pairing that will occur other than Shizune and her mystery man. Sasuke has been back for about a year now. Enjoy!

Summary: Tsunade decides that Sakura has been single for far too long. With the help of a jutsu can Tsunade shove her apprentice in the right direction for love and hopefully a couple of adorable grandkids? NejiXSakura.

Disclaimer: I dot not own Naruto or the characters therein.

* * *

It was a nice sunny day in Konoha. The streets were busy and full of life as people went about their daily business. One building was particularly quiet though.

The Hokage's building was devoid of any and all action. Konoha had been experiencing a time of peace recently. Orochimaru had died by Sasuke's hand and the young ninja was back and living in the village. much to everyone's relief, Itachi was also dead but not by the avengers hand, hence the reason why Sasuke was living peacefully in the village looking for a wife.

_Thankfully he hasn't set his sights on Sakura… and thank heavens she's no longer interested._ Tsunade thought as she sipped at her sake.

In fact Sakura had not shown any obvious interest in any men since her childhood crush on Sasuke. While this little fact pleased Naruto and Kakashi, it did not please Tsunade.

_We're the spinster trio…_ she noted sadly.

All three of them, she and her apprentices, were single and had been for quite some time. While she was a lost cause in her old age her young daughter figures were not. But sadly Shizune had remained single from her twenties to her thirties. Sakura, on the other hand, had never dated and was almost twenty.

When Sasuke came back, Sakura made it very clear that she regarded him as a friend and nothing more. In fact she seemed to be unaffected by most men.

In recent years only two men had been able to get a rise out of her and only one of those men could do so on a regular basis, though it should have been no surprise considering Hyuuga Neji's handsome appearance and stoic attitude. The other man was Sabaku no Gaara and at a Kage's meeting, he had some how managed to make her blush. Despite this feat, Neji had the Kazekage beat.

Quite regularly the handsome ANBU captain caused a pretty pink flush to cross Sakura's cheeks. The powerful man seemed to go out of his way to get this reaction from her, but he was always very subtle about it. Tsunade would have never noticed it if Hiashi hadn't pointed it out to her. And to make matters even more frustrating was the fact that Sakura didn't seem to notice her reaction to the quiet male or the fact that he seemed to be attracted to her.

_Yeah, him and the rest of Konoha's male population._ Rolling her eyes at this thought, Tsunade sipped the last of her sake. Sakura's fan boys were quite annoying…

A deep sigh escaped her lips as she realized that something had to be done.

Sakura was not about to go chasing after a guy and she would never let anyone set her up. The girl clearly had a type and a fan club so why didn't she just choose a guy? Any number of men would have died at a chance to date Sakura. The girl was smart, strong, and beautiful. But no... Sakura just had to be difficult.

_I do want grandkids before I'm too old to spoil them!_ The idea of dying with out grandchildren was not a pleasant one. Even more unpleasant than that was the thought of dying with out knowing that her surrogate daughter was happy and in love, which would then lead to the whole grandkid issue being solved.

Just then a thought came to her. A devilish grin spread across her red lips as she thought of the jutsu she had learned from an old woman when she was still a teenager.

_That jutsu is how I knew Dan was the one…_ and oh what a riot that jutsu had caused while it was in effect.

_This could prove to be very intertaining._

A small laugh erupted from her as she looked towards the door with determination shinning in her tawny eyes.

"Shizune, get me Sakura and sake on the double!" She shouted as loud as she could towards the hallway beyond the large wooden doors.

An exasperated "Hai Tsunade-sama" was heard from the other side. Tsunade nodded and placed her head on her desk, deciding that a small cat nap was in order.

Twenty minutes later a frazzled looking Shizune entered the office with sake, effectively waking the blonde Hokage, and thirty minutes later a delicate knock sounded through out the small office.

"Come in." Tsunade said, already knowing who it was.

Sure enough a pink head and a booted leg stepped through the door. Tsunade smiled at her young apprentice.

Recently Sakura had taken to wearing clothes better suited for ninja work. The tight black shorts, which had always been part of her uniform, were now worn alone and a short sleeved black shirt could be seen under her green jounin vest. Her pink hair had grown out and was held back by a black cloth with her hia-ate attached.

"You wished to see me Shishou?" Tsunade had to hold back a mischievous grin as her apprentice sat in the chair across from her deck. Gaining her composure, she folded her hands in her typical fashion.

"I need to test a jutsu that I have been working on. Come stand over here. It won't hurt." Tsunade said as she gestured for Sakura to stand in front of her. The look she received was a bit skeptical.

"Are you going to tell me what this jutsu does before you use me as a ginny pig?" Tsunade had never been known for having patience and the tone and stance Sakura took was quickly using up the little patience she did have.

"No, now get over here!" she growled out. Sakura sighed and moved to stand in front of her master.

This whole process was nothing new. Tsunade often used Sakura and Shizune to test out new jutsu that were not painful.

Sakura stretched her hands out palms up in front of her master and waited. Tsunade formed the required hand signs and grabbed onto Sakura's deceptively delicate looking hands.

Sakura gasped as a red glow surrounded her. As the light faded sakura noticed that her teacher seemed rather pleased with herself.

"Did it work shishou?" Curious green eyes searched the Hokage's face for some sort of answer. The manic grin and furious nod from her mentor were answer enough.

Feeling slightly vulnerable Sakura took her seat across from the large desk and watched as Tsunade rang a small gold bell. Very suddenly Kotetsu ran through the doors ready for his orders.

"Kotetsu, go out to the market and announce that the magnetism jutsu has been used on Haruno Sakura and explain the effects of said jutsu." Tsunade said as she calmly handed a scroll to the young man. With a bow the man was out the door again.

"What did the jutsu do shishou?" Sakura's voice was worried and her eyes scanned Tsunade's face for any sort of indication as to what the jutsu did. The grin that was plastered on Tsunade's face did nothing to ease Sakura's dread.

"Well, it helps you find the person you are meant to be with." It took a few moments for the sentence to process but when it did Sakura found that she was shocked.

"What?" She asked in a slight haze. Tsunade let out a sigh.

"I got sick of waiting for grandchildren so I'm helping you out. This jutsu will let you know who you are meant to be with. So go find that lucky guy!"

Sakura blinked a few times but was brought back to reality when she felt someone,namely Tsunade, pushing her out the door. She was quickly shoved out into the hallway. Turning around to face the door she had just been shoved out of, she saw her masters face through a small crack in the wood.

"Just so you know, the jutsu might literally pull you and your intended together so try not to trample over anyone in the process. There is a reason why the call it the Magnetism Jutsu. Have fun!"

And then the door closed.

For a few minutes Sakura stared at the dark brown wood in a mixture of wonder and confusion. And then it hit her.

_Shit! What if I'm meant to be with someone like Chouji? Or what if I'm secretly attracted to Lee and I don't know it? This cold be very, very bad…_

"Shishou!" She launched herself at the door and this time her knocking was significantly louder.

"Shishou! Open this door! You can't leave me like this!!!" Sakura ended in a wail only to hear a gut busting laugh from the other side.

Scowling, she continued to pound on the door until her fist turned numb. Rubbing her hand and bringing it back to life, she was about to start knocking again when she was interrupted.

"Sakura-san?"

_Oh no, anyone but him!_ she thought as she turned, wide-eyed, to look at the young man whose voice was all too familiar.

* * *

End Comments: So I hope you liked it. There will be 14 more chapters (maybe more) hopefully by the end of August. Review please… this is my first real chapter story, I'm a little nervous. 


	2. Fanboy Problem Anyone?

Author's Note: Forgive me if Lee is a little off but it is hard to write the way he talks. If you recall, Kotetsu went to the market and made an announcement about Sakura's new condition. We can safely assume that Lee was one of the people that heard. Subsequently the other fan boys heard as well and went in search of Sakura. Naruto, Kakashi, and the rest of Sakura's friends will soon find out about her condition due to the Konoha grape vine. Enjoy!

Summary: Tsunade decides that Sakura has been single for far too long. With the help of a jutsu can Tsunade shove her apprentice in the right direction for love and hopefully a couple of adorable grandkids? NejiXSakura.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters therein.

* * *

_Oh no, anyone but him!_ she thought as she turned, wide-eyed, to look at the young man whose voice was all too familiar. 

Standing behind her was Rock Lee with a tentative smile on his face. The look in his eyes was almost hopeful as he cautiously approached with one hand out.

_Oh God, anything but this! I don't want to hurt his feelings but I'll be damned if I turned out to be deeply attracted to him. I need to listen to my fight or flight instincts. Fight or flight? FLIGHT! _

Quickly looking to the left and right, Sakura darted towards the door. She heard footsteps behind her that were gaining slightly and decided to pick up the pace.

"Don't run Sakura-san! I just want to prove to the world that Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast and his Beautiful Blossom of Springtime Youth were meant to be together!"

_Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of!_ Sakura thought as she flew down the stairs.

She saw a beam of light around the corner and knew that her salvation was ahead. Now all she had to do was get there before he caught her.

The door to the outside landing was in sight but Lee had almost caught up to her. If they continued at this pace he was sure to catch up to her soon.

And then she had an idea…

_Lee might be faster than I am but he is terrible at ninjutsu._

As soon as she cleared the door frame Sakura had her hands ready. She jumped onto the railing and launched herself into the air.

"Sakura-san, be careful! You could hurt yourself like that!" Lee shouted as he watched Sakura suddenly disappear in a cloud of sakura blossoms.

On the roof top of the academy Sakura assumed she was safe. Taking a deep cleansing breath, she tried to clam her erratic heartbeat.

"Sakura-neechan!" a voice shouted from her left.

_So much for calming myself down…_ she thought as she turned to see who she had been cornered by this time.

A large scarf and unruly brown hair invaded her vision as the younger boy clamped his arms around her waist. Then she felt a face plant itself in a rather inappropriate and intimate place.

_Oh my GOD!!! Kick his ass!_

"Somebody get this pervert off of me!" Sakura yelled as she whacked Konohamaru in the head a few times.

"Is that you my Springtime Blossom of Youth?"

_Okay, maybe screaming at the top of my lungs wasn't such a good idea._

Sakura pried Konohamaru off and ran into the Academy at break neck speed. She flew past the classrooms in a pink blur. After almost knocking over Iruka-sensei and two small children, she made it out of the building and headed towards the center of town.

News of her condition must have spread because soon enough it wasn't just Lee and Konohamaru following her.

As she entered the market she turned to see exactly how many boys were tailing her. The answer was way too many. The mob behind her reminded her of Sasuke's fan club, of which she used to be a member. The only difference was the mob following her was male.

She turned back around just in time to avoid running head first into Temari.

"Hi Temari! Nice to see you. Got to run. Bye!" she said in a rush as she flew past the blond woman who was visiting from Suna.

Temari blinked a few times and then dived out of the way to avoid being stampeded by the adolescent male population of Konoha.

Dodging the flower vendor and the cart selling fresh fish at the same time had been quite a feat but somehow Sakura managed. A few seconds later she found herself running past the hospital.

_If I go in there, the guys won't follow me. Well, they might follow me but they would have to deal with Michi-san, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone… well, anyone but them._

The doors to the hospital opened and Sakura desperately hoped that she would see the slightly overweight and piously self-righteous woman step into the afternoon light. But luck was not on Haruno Sakura's side today.

Instead Hiko, the head of the Haruno Sakura fan club, stepped through the doors. The young male nurse's face brightened considerably when he noticed Sakura.

Hiko was about two years older than her and was always pleasant but he had the awful tendency to flirt shamelessly with her when she was off of hospital duty. He also had the obnoxious habit of staring at her now ample chest instead of looking at her face.

_Well, using the hospital as refuge is out…_

As the boy fell into place next to Lee, Sakura couldn't help but roll her eyes.

_Where is Kakashi-sensei when I need him?_

Taking off into the woods, Sakura maneuvered around random tree trunks hoping that at least some of the stalkers behind her would give up or knock themselves out by running into a tree.

It was then that Sakura noticed that her feet seemed to want to move of their own accord. They seemed to want to move in the direction of the training grounds.

_That would be a disaster! Hello feet, are you there? Listen to my brain. Do you know how many shinobi are going to be training out there? Too many. Head back to the village!_

It took a significant amount of effort to get her feet in the desired direction but as she moved further away from the training grounds the desire head in that direction lessened.

"Sakura-san, would you please stop? I don't want you to wear your self out." Lee's voice called out from the mob behind her.

The slightly funny yet terrifying thing was that Lee's implication was correct. While the other boys would not be able to keep up with her for much longer, Lee could out run her and it was obvious that he was just waiting for her to calm down a little bit. She would be tired long before he was.

_I need to find shelter and I need to find it fast._

The town was back in sight and people seemed to be staring at her and her male mob. Not that she blamed them or anything. It probably looked just a little odd.

Then Sakura realized exactly where she was. And sure enough there was the Yamanaka Flower Shop and a blonde ponytail in the window of the small shop.

"Ino!"

Blue eyes widened as Ino took in the situation and acted fast. As soon as Sakura entered the door Ino shut it and locked it.

No sooner had Ino stepped away from the door did Lee and Hiko plow right into it. If their faces were any indication, slamming yourself into a chakra enforced glass door was not comfortable.

_Thank heavens for Ino-pig and her families flower shop!_

Sakura caught her breath and watched as Ino yelled at Lee and Hiko through the door. By the time Ino stopped her rant and turned her worried gaze towards Sakura, the pink haired kunoichi was already sitting on the stool behind the counter.

"So, I heard about you little problem Forehead." Ino said as she moved closer.

"You don't know the half of it." Sakura's exasperation was evident in her tone, one pale hand raking through her tousled pink locks.

Ino jumped up to sit on the counter, now at eye level with her best friend.

"Alright Forehead, spill. Tell Ino-chan all of your worries."

* * *

End Comments: Wow, I think this chapter and the last one are almost the exact same size. I hope some of you found this chapter a little funny. While Neji won't really make his grand appearance until awhile later, we do have some scenes with him in it. So be patient please! Understand that this fic is all about Sakura coming to terms with her feelings. Neji already knows how he feels… Review if you feel so inclined. It would make me feel better… 


	3. Kaka Sensei To The Rescue!

Author's Note: Neji is going to make his grand appearance in the next chapter. I combined two short chapters together to give you this so I could add in a chapter that I had not planned on using next (and I personally think you will like that one). Anyway, Kakashi get the play the daddy role in this fic and Naruto can play the brother/best friend. Oh, and Neji and Sakura have been training together once a week for about a year. Sakura's parents have died and we can assume that Asuma has also passed on. And with that depressing note, Enjoy!

Summary: Tsunade decides that Sakura has been single for far too long. With the help of a jutsu can Tsunade shove her apprentice in the right direction for love and hopefully a couple of adorable grandkids? NejiXSakura.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters therein.

* * *

"Alright Forehead, spill. Tell Ino-chan all of your worries."

With a deep breath Sakura looked at her friend and just let everything come out.

"Well, obviously I have a huge problem with the jutsu Tsunade-shishou used on me today. I mean, how could she? She knows I'm trying to avoid being in a relationship. And she was talking about grandkids. I'm not ready to have kids yet! And then there are the fan boys. What on earth am I supposed to do about that? I won't even be able to go outside at this rate! And lately I've been having these weird reactions to Neji-kun and-" Sakura was interrupted by a loud shriek of ear splitting proportions.

"Neji-kun? Neji-kun! Since when has Neji-san turned into Neji-kun?" Ino asked with a huge smile on her face.

Sakura didn't know what to say to that. When had Neji suddenly become Neji-kun? At what point had her mental picture of him changed.

_That day you were training with him a couple months ago and he took his shirt off. Or maybe it was the day he first told you that you looked nice when you smiled. But it could be when we first started training together once a week. Or maybe…_

Sakura was too busy thinking of a specific date to notice the pink blush that was rapidly spreading across her cheeks. Ino's wide grin quickly turned mischievous as she waited for Sakura to answer.

Sakura looked at her friend and tried to think of something.

"Well, I guess it was when we started training together." Sakura said in a reflective tone.

"You've been in love with Hyuuga Neji for almost a year and you never mentioned it?" Ino's question came out as more of a scream as she placed her hands on her hips.

"I am not in love. I simply have a small crush on him, that's all. And even if I did love him, this jutsu could potentially change all of that. For all I know, Neji might not be the one the jutsu picks. Therefore I refuse to get attached to a crush," Sakura stated defiantly before she continued, "And what about my other problems? I can't stay locked up in your flower shop for the rest of forever. I need to get home!"

Ino shrugged and looked around expectantly completely ignoring the faces pressed up against the shop window for the moment.

"Don't worry forehead. By now everyone in Konoha has heard about your predicaments, the boys and the jutsu. It will only be a matter of time before Kakashi-san comes to your rescue. It's so cute how over protective he is."

_Ha! Cute she says. What would she have said if Asuma-san had given her a curfew when he was still her sensei? kaka-sensei still sees me as a little girl sometimes... well, more like a little girl that can kick serious ass._

The man truly did act like an over protective father when it came to his only female student. Usually this was a good thing… Okay, it was always a good thing.

Since her parents had died a few years back, Kakashi and Tsunade had taken their roles. Kakashi watched over her, made sure she had enough money to pay the rent, checked her refrigerator for healthy foods, and made sure any unwanted males stayed far away from her.

The thought sent a smile onto her features.

"Yeah… yeah, it kind of is." She said quietly and tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear.

The girls were jolted out of their moment by a plume of white smoke.

"Yo, Sakura-chan."

There stood Kakashi looking like he always did. His little orange book was open towards the end and it seemed like it would be time for him to get a new one soon.

_I'll have to talk to Jiraiya and get an advanced copy of "Icha Icha Kunoichi" for Kaka-sensei's birthday next month._

"Kaka-sensei, have you heard?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi shrugged and lowered his book so that she could see his lone eye.

"Yeah, I went looking for you as soon as I heard, though it wasn't all that hard to find you. Those idiots outside are making quite a spectacle." He said as he began to walk towards them.

Suddenly a thought came to Sakura… a rather disturbing thought.

_What if it's Kaka-sensei? What if some how I've managed to subconsciously fall in love with him and I don't even know it? What would I do???_

When she noticed that he as still moving forward she nearly had a panic attack.

"Stop! Stop right there Kaka-sensei." She said as she jumped off of the stool and moved as far away from him as possible to collect her thoughts.

Kakashi seemed to understand what was going on because he stopped and stood patiently concentrating on his book.

_Okay, let's think about this rationally. The only way to find out if it's him or not is to approach him and see what happens. If it's not him then there is nothing to worry about. If it is… I deal with that if it happens._

Cautiously she began to take baby steps towards the silver haired jounin. The closer she got the more she realized that she didn't know what signs to look for.

What did the jutsu do? The term magnet implied that she would be attracted to the person. But how would she be attracted to them? Physically or mentally? Or perhaps even both?

_What I do know is that I can't take any chances._

And with that she launched herself at her former sensei desperately hoping to feel nothing.

Smack!

_Well, I don't feel nothing! Stupid Kaka-sensei. He just made to move._

Lifting her body off of the ground, she rubbed the now red and very sore spot on her forehead.

"Thanks Kaka-sensei." Sarcasm dripped off of each word as she glared at a cackling Ino.

"Anytime Sakura-chan. I think we can safely say that I am not your chosen one." His eye crease smile was in full effect as he closed his book and put it away.

Biting his thumb, he preformed a series of familiar hand signs and a few seconds later Pakkun was seated in front of them.

"Yo Kakashi…Sakura." Pakkun said as he stood and moved to lick Sakura's hand.

"Pakkun, I need you to find Naruto so he and I can escort Sakura home. Tsunade used the Magnetism Jutsu on her. You know what that means. We don't want her to get mobbed by that bunch outside." Kakashi said with his hidden smile in place.

"Right. Be back soon!" Pakkun shouted back at them as he bolted out the back door that Ino was holding open for him.

After taking a look at the faces smashed against the flower shop's windows, Sakura couldn't help but feel that this was going to be a very long week. Turning towards Kakashi she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"So, how long do you think it will take him to get here?" She asked the other two people in the room.

Ino shrugged, obviously more concerned about the smudges the boys would leave on the window. Kakashi looked up from his book.

"It will only take Pakkun a few minutes to find him. And then I'd give him about thirty seconds to get here if he's not in the middle of eating a bowl of ramen." Kakashi said, chuckling toward the end of his sentence.

"Yeah, I'd say that's about right. You'd better pray he's not eating Forehead because if he is you two may be here all night." Ino said as she glared at the crowded window with her hands on her hips. She was going to have to clean that now.

"No, if he takes longer than ten minutes we're leaving. I'm not going to stay here all night and if those boys know what's good for them they will stay away." The tone of Kakashi's voice made Sakura feel a lot better about her current situation and really sorry for what ever idiot tried to get near her while the copy-nin was around.

A few moments passed in silence before the back door burst open and a frantic Naruto entered only to be tackled to the ground.

"What the hell is going on? Ino?" He practically screamed as he tried to throw Ino off of him.

"Shut up you idiot! We need to see if you're the jutsu's chosen one. I'm sure Pakkun has told you already." Ino got up and held the blond back as he struggled to get out of her grasp.

"Yeah, he told me on the way here. You can let go Ino. I wasn't going to tackle her or anything." He said while scratching the back of his head.

_Yeah right. You probably would have tackled me in your customary bear hug._

His statement was met with disbelief from his three companions.

Kakashi placed his hands on Sakura's shoulders and pushed her forward gently. With her hands stretched out she approached her best friend slowly until her hand was flat against his chest.

_Nothing..._

They both let out a sigh and started laughing. How weird would it be to fall in love with a man that was practically a brother two her in every sense but blood?

_Thank God! I love Naruto but I don't think either one of us could ever be comfortable in that kind of relationship together. Besides, he has Hinata now._

"Alright you too, let's go. We can have dinner at Sakura's." Kakashi said as he opened the front door.

As soon as the mob saw who it was they scattered like the wind.

_That's right boys. No one messes with my Kaka-sensei!_

And with that the three of them headed to Sakura's apartment for some well earned home cooked dinner.

* * *

End Comments: So, I hope you liked it. It is true that the last chapter was a filler but this one actually had a point. Not only has Sakura fessed up to having, at the very least, a crush on Neji but we have also eliminated two candidates. We now know that neither Kakashi nor Naruto are the "chosen one". If you feel like it you can review, I won't mind at all. 


	4. Who Want's To Place A Bet?

Author's Notes: Sasuke and Neji both show up in this chapter. We're going to have a little bit of a fight over Sakura but nothing too serious. These boys are going to use their wits to win her over. And Gaara will make his first appearance a little later on. After this chapter the real action begins. Enjoy!

Summary: Tsunade decides that Sakura has been single for far too long. With the help of a jutsu can Tsunade shove her apprentice in the right direction for love and hopefully a couple of adorable grandkids? NejiXSakura.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters therein.

* * *

Two figures walked down the street at about nine o'clock at night one with a book in his hand and the other rambling on about "Sakura-chan's delicious dinner". 

With a happy grin set on his features Naruto turned to his former sensei in an attempt to start a conversation.

"Wasn't that dinner great Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yeah."

"Sakura-chan sure can cook!"

"Yeah."

"I really hope she feels better about this jutsu later. It could be a good thing, right?"

"Yeah."

"Unless it's Sasuke. That would be bad… Do you think it's Sasuke?"

"Yeah."

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yeah."

"Are you listening to a word I'm saying?"

"No."

With a frazzled expression Naruto turned around. Now that he realized the older man was attempting to piss him off, Naruto was determined to forego all potential small talk and simply look at the road. There was only one problem with this plan, being that when he turned his head all he could see was the familiar shade of green that adorned every Konoha shinobi vest.

"Ah!" He screamed, completely caught off guard and startled by the person standing directly in front of him.

"So troublesome…" Shikamaru sighed as he raised his hand to rub his now partially deaf right ear.

"Shikamaru don't do that! You'll give me a heart attack." Naruto said taking deep breaths. The other two men ignored him and got straight down to business.

"Kakashi-san, Tsunade-sama has called a meeting for all of Sakura's potential suitors. She demands that both of you are there." With a nod from Kakashi the strategist began leading the two towards the Hokage's tower, which was only a few minutes away from Sakura's apartment.

After a few moments of silence Naruto couldn't take it anymore.

"So, Shikamaru, what do you think of this jutsu that Baa-chan used on Sakura?" Naruto asked with a curious expression and tone.

With his hands in his pockets, Shikamaru looked up at the night sky and sighed.

"It's all troublesome if you ask me. If the girl wants to stay a spinster for the rest of her life then let her. It's simply less troublesome that way."

"I wholly agree." Kakashi responded from behind his now open book, though how he was reading in the dark neither of his companions could figure out.

They had just entered the conference room in the Hokage building when Naruto decided to add in his two cents.

"Well, I think it's wrong!" He screamed throwing a fisted hand into the air.

"And I don't give a damn, you brat." Was the only response his opinion got from what he now realized was a crowd of shinobi.

Actually, to be more specific, the crowd consisted of all men with the exception of one bossy blonde Hokage. But other than Tsunade, the room was full of familiar faces. They were all the male shinobi that were no older than Kakashi and no younger than Sakura.

Standing in the front of the room was Tsunade demanding everyone's attention.

"I have called you all here to discuss a certain matter that I am sure you have all heard about. I cast the Magnetism Jutsu on Sakura earlier this afternoon."

A light mummer dusted the room when Tsunade paused, observing her shinobi… well, more like a certain shinobi in particular.

_Damn it! Why can't he be like Naruto and wear his feelings on his sleeves? It would be so much easier to see what he thought of all this._

Looking around for another specific male, she found that she could not see him in the crowd but his chakra signature was in the room.

_So the bastard decided to show up after all. I may have to keep an eye on him._

She clenched her jaw at the thought that the arrogant man might be interested in her apprentice.

After clearing her throat, she continued.

"I don't care what you think about my decision and I don't care about how fair you think this is. What I do care about is how you react to Sakura during this week. This afternoon my apprentice was chased down by a stalker type mob. While I find this terribly amusing, this type of behavior will not be tolerated. I don't want her to spend the rest of her life running from you. I want her to find the right guy and be happy, hence the reason I used the jutsu in the first place. Those of you that were in the mob this afternoon will inform any of the mobs members that are not here tonight to stay away from Sakura." At this point Tsunade had her hands on her hips and was staring down a two men. Lee and Hiko stared at the ground shamefaced.

"And so as a final statement on the matter I am telling all of you to go about your everyday lives as if nothing is out of the ordinary. If you hardly ever see Sakura, do not go out of your way to make your presence known. If you see Sakura often, then do not go out of your way to avoid her. Make this ordeal as easy for her as possible. If I hear of any ill conduct from any of you regarding this matter it is my fist you will answer to. Good night gentlemen." Tsunade said with a yawn. Turning on her heal, she left the room.

As soon as the door closed behind her Kiba jumped up on the table. With a pen and paper in his hand he announced,

"I'm taking bets on who the lucky guy is gonna be. Personally I'm putting my money down on Sasuke." A large number of others agreed and the dog-nin put their names down.

"I am betting for myself," Hiko said with a dazed smile obviously day dreaming about the pink-haired kunoichi.

"I too will bet for myself. The lotus and the cherry blossom were meant to bloom together!" Lee said with enthusiasm.

"Alright, is anyone else going to bet?" Kiba asked looking around. He spotted Neji about to leave and called out, "What about you Neji?"

The stoic ANBU captain moved to lean against the door frame he had previously been about to exit with his arms crossed.

"I will not be placing a bet, Inuzuka." His condescending tone was evident to every man in the room.

"Why not Hyuuga? Afraid you'll loose?" came a snide remark from a dimly lit corner of the room.

Neji glared in the direction of the voice.

"No, Uchiha that is hardly the case. While it is true that Sakura and I are friends I will not be presumptuous enough to assume I know where her heart lies. But I will say that I doubt her affections still belong to you." The man Neji spoke to walked out of the shadows and turned his onyx gaze to Kiba.

"I will bet on myself, Inuzuka. We all know that she has loved me since we were children. That has not changed and I doubt it ever will." He said with a smirk.

"Don't be so sure of yourself. The Sakura you knew no longer exists. But seeing as though you don't spend much time with her I wouldn't expect you to know that."

The two prodigies glared at each other and neither one seemed willing to back down.

"I bet on Neji," came Kakashi's voice from behind his book causing looks of shock and confusion. _Why Neji?_ seemed to be the question on everyone's mind.

"I thought you said you thought it was going to be Sasuke!" Naruto yelled at his former sensei.

The copy-nin just shrugged and continued reading.

"I told you I wasn't listening," Kakashi said to the now pouting blonde ninja.

"I'm betting on Neji too, though it's troublesome," Shikamaru stated.

_Kakashi knows her better than just about anyone. And he knows who's going to win. He wouldn't have made a bet otherwise…_ Shikamaru thought to himself.

"Naruto, you gonna make a bet?" Kiba asked the hyper active blonde.

"Yeah… Gaara is in town later this week so I'm gonna place three bets. One bet for Neji, one bet for Gaara, and one against Sasuke-teme," he said with a bit of a bite at the end of his sentence.

_We may be friends Sasuke-teme, but you're no good for my Sakura-chan. So BACK OFF!!! _

Kiba's barking laughter filled the room as he wrote down the new bets.

"Alright Naruto, whatever you say. The bets are closed boys. So, who wants to get a drink?"

Throwing one last glare at Sasuke, Neji left for the Hyuuga compound with out a word.

The black eyed ninja smirked and then disappeared in a flurry of leaves.

And the battle was on, for Sakura's heart that is… at least, that's what Sasuke thought.

* * *

End Comments: so, I hope the characters were portrayed correctly. This was something I came up with that was not originally in the story. I hope you like it. Review if you feel like it! 


	5. It's so KAWAII!

Author's Note: Sasuke might seem a little OOC but I had someone tell me that he would not be as cruel as he was in the last chapter. I agree but you have to remember how arrogant Sasuke can be around his peers. He was putting on a show for the other men in the room. He does care for Sakura but he doesn't really love her like she ought to be loved. Anyway, the other person who might be a little OOC is Kakashi but since no one ever truely knows what he's thinking I don't think it matters if he thinks of himself as Sakura's father. There will be a Neji/Sakura moment in the next chapter so for those of you who have been waiting, it is about to show up. Enjoy!

Summary: Tsunade decides that Sakura has been single for far too long. With the help of a jutsu can Tsunade shove her apprentice in the right direction for love and hopefully a couple of adorable grandkids? NejiXSakura.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters therein.

* * *

Beep Beep Beep! 

Beep Beep Beep!

Beep Beep CHRUNCH!

_Well, there goes another alarm clock._

As Sakura sat up in bed she noticed that something wasn't right. Everything seemed to be in order. Her clothes from yesterday were still in a messy pile on the floor and her bed room door had been left wide open, the towel she had used the night before still hanging on the door knob.

With a groan she got up and shuffled to the bathroom careful to avoid tripping over yesterday's bra.

She entered the bathroom and did her morning ritual of brushing her hair and teeth. She was still cleaning her teeth when what sounded like a box of cereal fell over in her kitchen.

_I knew something wasn't right! Who ever is in my apartment better be ready to get their ass kicked!_

With her tooth brush still in her mouth she grabbed a kunai and stealthily made her way into her kitchen. Well, she went as quietly as her oversized jounin shirt that she stole from Kakashi would allow.

In a fighting stance she checked behind the couch, under the table, in the refrigerator, and behind and under her very large potted fern.

Just as she was about to lift the TV there was a noise that came from the cereal box, which was now on the floor.

_Oh God, please tell me I don't have bugs in my house! Shino help!!!_

Grabbing her phone to replace her kunai, she made her way to the island counter. On the ground was a spilled box of cereal that had certainly not been there the day before. Phone at the ready and finger on number seven, she was ready to speed call Shino (she had all her friends on speed dial) if it turned out to be a bug invasion.

Down on her knees she braced herself and peered into the box.

"meow…"

_Oh my God! It's so KAWAII!!! _

There munching away on a cereal flake was the cutest little gray kitten Sakura had ever seen. The cat looked up at her and Sakura was taken in by the most beautiful ice blue eyes she had ever seen.

The little cat made its way out of the box and into Sakura's open hands. The next thing Sakura felt was a sand paper tongue licking her calloused finger tips.

It was only then that Sakura noticed the small ribbon acting a collar for the little cat. Curious, Sakura took the ribbon off and found a note had been attached to it. She read it ashe she took her tooth brush out of her mouth and placed it back in the bathroom

**Sakura**

**The cats name is Fubuki. She is a gift from me to you. I thought you could use a small companion. **

The note had no name attached to it and for a moment Sakura was a little hesitant about keeping the pet.

_Should I keep it? It could give out the wronged message to the person who gave it to me, especially if that person is…unique. If Hiko gave me this cat I'm going to kill him._

All thoughts of evil intent were thrown out the window as the small animal started purring.

_To hell with it, she stays. So KAWAII!!! I'm going to have to go out and get cat supplies…_

Just then her door bell rang but when she recognized the chakra signature she didn't bother to open the door. He would let himself in. He had a key after all.

"Yo Sakura-chan. Get a new pet?" the copy-nin said as he opened her door and walked in.

Sakura grinned and nodded enthusiastically. She took the cereal and dumped it out. she certainly didn't want to have cat hair in her breakfast tomorrow.

"Yeah. Isn't she just the most adorable thing?" sakura asked before she began making small cooing noises at Fubuki.

"Sure, she's adorable. Does she have a litter box?" he said in a slightly deadpan voice.

Sakura shook her head.

"No, but I was wondering if you could take me to the store since I can't seem to go outside anymore with out being trampled." She grabbed her purse knowing that he would take her.

"Sure, let's go." He said in a bored tone as he took out the small worn out orange book.

Rolling her eyes, Sakura walked out behind Kakashi with Fubuki in her arms and locked the door behind them.

----------------------------------------------

He watched as Sakura and Kakashi walked down the street together. It reminded him of their team seven days.

Thinking about his past made him regret. He hated to admit it but he truly missed the attention Sakura used to give him. He wished she still loved him.

_Those are weak thoughts Uchiha. Get rid of them._

He pushed away the unwanted and emotional thoughts about Sakura as he looked back down at the trio headed towards the pet shop.

The small cat was now on Sakura's shoulder playing with her pink hair. Sakura's laugh bounced off the buildings and echoed in the street. It was obvious that this small animal made her happy in some way. The cat was making her laugh.

_Who ever gave her that cat knows what he's doing. And what's worse than that is that he seems to know her better than me. I would have never thought to get her a pet.  
_

Just then something seemed to catch the little fur balls eye. In pouncing position the little grey animal launched himself off of Sakura's shoulder and into the air, flying towards the bright orange cover of Kakashi's book.

Kakashi was not about to let his book be shredded and thus plucked the little fur ball out of the air and set the animal back in Sakura's arms.

The whole thing just made Sakura's laughter erupt anew. Even the copy-nin was grinning as he pet the little cat absently on the head.

Sasuke suddenly realized that who ever sent the cat to Sakura was truly trying to win over the girl's heart. That just would not do.

As much as Sasuke never admitted it, there was a small part of him that loved Sakura as more than a team mate. It wasn't a large part but he doubted that he would ever let any other woman close to him in the way she had been before he left. Not that it truely mattered anyway since she wasn't even all that close to him but she did know more about him than most, and she would make a great mother to any Uchiha children he should wish to have in the future.

"Kaka-sensei, isn't that a cute bear in the window?" Her voice floated up to his perch on a tree a safe distance away from them.

"Yeah." The bored voice of his ex-sensei followed behind hers. The man may have sounded bored but Sasuke knew that he was actually paying attention to the pink haired medic, just as he always did.

Looking down towards the store that the woman was talking about Sasuke saw a rather large brown teddy bear with a large white heart as his stomach fur.

_I can't get that! It's almost as big as me. Someone will see me carrying that monstrosity to her apartment and then I'll be the laughing stock of the village. That would simply never do. I'll have to think of something else._

He had to be the one the jutsu chose. In order to do that he was going to need some help. He needed a gift better than that cat and not as noticeable as the bear.

_Looks like I'll be making a trip to see Yamanaka today. Joy…_

What Sasuke didn't know was the he was not the only one watching the exchange from afar.

----------------------------------------------------

"Kaka-sensei what do you think about this color for a collar and a leash?"

So far every color they had looked at was either really girly or made poor Fubuki look like a boy. At this point they had tried purple, pink, dark blue, red, black, and yellow and none of them had looked good.

The copy-nin lowered his book and cocked his head to the side.

"If you send her out in that people will think you're color blind," and what he said was probably true. The brightly colored plaid collar was not at all becoming on Fubuki and, if she was honest with herself, just plain ugly.

Sighing, Sakura removed the collar and went back to the rack to find another. After a few moments of thought she decided to just think of a color she liked.

_Hmmm… a light color. Maybe a pretty pastel. That would be nice against the grey. I could get a pale purple like Neji's eyes. That would look great! he's eyes are so pretty. I wonder what he's up to? I havent seen him for a couple of days. Sometimes I forget how pretty his eyes are when they're not around...  
_

Looking around she tried to find a pretty light purple as she mused about how gorgeous Neji's eye were and how much she missed him. But after a few moments she realized that they didn't have it. Slightly disappointed she began to think.

_I already tried regular purple and that doesn't look good. So, what's the closest thing to light purple?_

She lifted Fubuki to look at her face to face. The cat gazed back at her.

"I need your help pretty girl. What is the closest thing to light purple, Fubuki?" Sakura asked, ignoring Kakashi's chuckles and the curious glance her cat was giving her.

That's when it hit her.

"Light blue!" She grabbed the ice blue collar off of the rack and quickly secured it onto Fubuki's neck. The collar matched the cat's eyes perfectly and with her mind made up Sakura found a matching leash and added the two items to her pile of cat supplies which included food, toys, food and water bowls, cat shampoo, and a litter box.

Kakashi peaked over Sakura's shoulder and took a quick glance at the cat. He noted that the small light blue bow on the collar near Fubuki's ear added a very cute feminine touch and made the little fur ball look even cuter if that was possible.

"I like it," he said as he went back to reading his book.

Sakura smiled at the masked jounin and paid for her purchases. She handed the bags to Kakashi and went to attach the leash to Fubuki's collar. Setting the cat on the ground she almost squealed at how adorable her pet was.

It was then that she felt this irresistible desire to move outside. Then she realized that her feet were moving of their own accord. Startled, she gripped onto a leash that was hanging on the wall.

"Kaka-sensei! My feet won't stop moving!" she yelled as she tried to keep herself from moving. Her feet were attempting to shuffle out of the store.

Wide-eyed, Kakashi placed the bags down on the ground and grabbed Sakura around the middle to make sure she stayed in the store.

After a minute the feeling began to dissipate the desire began to go away until it was non-existent. A few minutes of silence allowed the two jounin to think.

"Magnetism jutsu. It works just like a magnet in that whenever you are in close proximity to the man of choice you will be physically pulled to him. But when you are far enough away it won't have much of any effect on you at all." Kakashi stated in a slightly dazed voice. He had expected her to have a reaction but not one that could potentially have her flying across town.

"You can't mean…" the reality of the situation hit Sakura like a brick wall.

_Shishou, I'm going to kill you!!!_

"Yeah, and the worst part is that I think it will only get stronger as time goes by."

Sakura looked down at Kakashi who was picking up the bags.

"So if I wait until next week I might literally go flying through the air if this guy walks by?" she asked a bit mortified.

"It's possible." He said as they exited and looked at the people on the street who were completely oblivious to what had just transpired with in the small pet shop.

Sakura let out a big sigh and ran a hand through her pink locks.

"Let's go home and get Fubuki settled. I'll make you lunch. We could even play shogi, watch a movie, and have dinner together if you like." She said hopefully.

"Sure," he responded unable to deny her anything. He would give his little girl the world if she asked but thankfully she only ever asked for the simple things.

End Comments: So that's # 5. Now we know exactly how the jutsu affects sakura. And we had a tiny neji/saku moment with the daydreaming. There will be a large neji/saku moment in the next chapter and some amusing antics from Lee. Let the fun begin!

P.S. Kawaii means cute or something like that in japanese.


	6. Too Many Phone Calls!

Author's Note: Naruto and Sakura are strictly best friends and sort of siblings and therefore tend to spend a lot of time together. Naruto is dating Hinata and Shikamaru is dating Temari. Sakura is not obsessed with Neji, she just likes to indulge in her feelings when she is alone. We can assume that "Neji-kun" and "Shika-kun" have both been friends with Sakura for a while thus allowing her to add that honorific to their names. Oh, and Ino and Chouji will be getting together in the next chapter too. And the **bold **is whoever happens to be on the phone with Sakura. Enjoy!

Summary: Tsunade decides that Sakura has been single for far too long. With the help of a jutsu can Tsunade shove her apprentice in the right direction for love and hopefully a couple of adorable grandkids? NejiXSakura.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters therein.

* * *

The next day found Sakura sitting at her kitchen table reading over scrolls as Fubuki sunbathed on the couch.

_So many scrolls so little time… _

She picked up the next scroll and took look reading over the words with little interest until she read who the writer was.

_Hyuuga Neji… so this must have been that mission he was talking about last week._

Unfortunately for the poor sap that ended up writing the mission summary down for the Hokage it never actually reached the Hokage unless something went drastically wrong. Tsunade was usually so lazy that she just dumped the whole pile of scrolls on Sakura and asked her to take one day a week to go over them.

Most of the time the missions she read about were pretty boring. For example, she got a lot of scrolls the just stated "Tora the cat rescued and returned to owner again" and who had rescued the poor tormented animal this time around. But whenever she got a mission that Neji wrote about she paid close attention.

_He is such a great ANBU captain. And his hand writing is perfect. I wish I could write like that…_

Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone. The phone was on the couch by Fubuki who had been jolted out of a light slumber and was now viciously attacking the unsuspecting device.

Sakura laughed at her cat's antics and picked up the animal and the phone in separate hands. The distance didn't stop Fubuki from glaring at the phone but it did halt her attacks on it.

"Hello?"

"**Sakura, it's Ino. Guess what!" ** The blonde sounded really happy and excited about something. There were only a couple things that could get Ino happy like this; a sale, Shikamaru and Temari breaking up, or having Chouji cook for her.

"What's happened, Ino? Did Shika-kun and Temari-chan get into a fight? They'll make up by the time she leaves at the end of the week," Sakura said sounding rather bored.

"**No they are not in a fight but that doesn't matter anymore. I'm giving up on Shikamaru."** Ino stated in a determined and finalized tone. It was enough to make Sakura choke on her spit. After coughing for a few seconds Sakura got back on track.

"You've GIVEN UP on him? Since when? You have secretly had a crush on Shika-kun since you became team mates." Disbelief evident in her words Sakura sat back down in her chair and scratched Fubuki behind her soft grey ears.

"**I gave up when I saw Shikamaru and Temari at the market yesterday. They were so cute together and so perfect for each other that it made me want to puke. So I've moved on!"** Ino said cheering into the phone line. Sakura rolled her eyes and mouthed a "yeah right" to her fuzzy companion.

"How did you manage that, Ino-pig?" sakura asked, truly curious. It had taken Ino months of wallowing to get over Sasuke. How had she managed to get over Shikamaru in less than a day?

"**A lot of ice cream Forehead. That and Chouji told me I could go over to his house and eat my sorrows away. He's so nice… and he's a great cook!" **

_Do my ears deceive me or is that I wishful sigh I hear? Ino likes Chouji! Oh, I can't wait to tell Naruto!_

A mischievous grin spread across Sakura's face as she listened to her friend going on about Chouji's best qualities. Something about "cuddly like a teddy bear" came up, but Sakura decided to ignore that.

"Ino? Is there something you've been hiding from me? A certain development perhaps?" Sakura asked with her voice full of teasing and mischief.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Anyway, I'm going to be late. I told Chouji we could spend the day together. Later Forehead!" and just like that Ino hung up on her.

Scowling, Sakura placed the device on the table. Fubuki watcher her owner glare at the phone and decided to mimic her. And so a pair of green eyes and a pair of blue eyes watched the phone as it sat there inactive.

Bring!

Sakura placed a hand over her chest half expecting to have a heart attack. Fubuki was already pawing at the phone with her claws by the time Sakura picked it up.

"Hello?"

"**Sakura-san, how are you feeling this morning? Has youth surrounded you in its embrace this fine day?" **asked a rather familiar voice on the other side.

"Good morning Lee-san. Yes, I am having a good day so far." She was trying to be as patient as possible but when Lee started spewing nonsense about "the spring time of youth" she couldn't help but get a little agitated.

"**That is wonderful Sakura-san. I called to see if you like your present." **Sakura could practically see the "good guy smile" at the end of his sentence.

"What present, Lee? Did you send me Fubuki?" she asked with dread and hesitation.

_I refuse to give up Fubuki even if Lee is the one who gave her to me!_

"**Fubuki is a lovely name Sakura-san but perhaps it is not the best name for the present I got you. You might consider a name more befitting like Mr. Snuffles."**

"Mr. Snuffles?"

_Who the hell is Mr. Snuffles? I don't have any stuffed bears around here. _

"**Yes Sakura-san. He is in front of your door."**

Cautiously Sakura moved to her door and opened it. As soon as the door opened she was attacked by something large, brown, and fuzzy.

"Ack!" she yelped as she and the bear went tumbling to the ground.

"**Sakura-san, do you like Mr. Snuffles?" **

Sakura looked at her attacker and then pushed her now disheveled hair out of her face.

_So Ino hangs up on me and I get attacked by a fat stuffed animal! Absolutely peachy…_

"Yes Lee-san. Mr. Snuffles and I will get along nicely I think. I just need to find a place for him to stay." Sakura said through slightly clenched teeth.

"**I'm glad you like him. I have to go train with Gai-sensei now, Sakura-san. Have a great day!"**

"Bye Lee-san." She said as she hung up.

_Now where to put this oversized valentine? I'll just set him on the couch for now. No, I'll use him as a bean bag instead. _

It took some effort but after a few minutes she had successfully moved Mr. Snuffles from her front door to a cozy spot in front of the TV.

Sakura ran a hand through her hair and sat back down at the table to continue reading Neji's mission summary.

She was about half way through when the phone rang.

_What is up with people today? I usually never get this many calls!_

"Hello?"

"……………"

There seemed to be no one on the other side but Sakura could hear someone breathing.

_Oh no! this is going to turn into one of those creepy horror stories where the girl get a phone call and then mysteriously dies only to be found chopped up and in the freezer the next day by her friends. Somebody help me!!!_

After calming herself down she tried again.

"Hello?"

"**Sakura.**" There as only one person who said her name like that. She let out the breath she had been holding.

_thanks God, it's just him. Now, why is he interrupting my Neji scroll reading time?_

"Hi Sasuke-kun. What do you need?" He only ever called if he needed something so her question made sense. For a moment he didn't answer.

"**Are you doing anything this afternoon?" **To say that the question startled her was an understatement.

_What does he care if I'm doing something this afternoon? It's not like he's going to ask me do go eat with him or anything._

"Well, I'm going over the mission summaries right now which might take me a while," she said hoping that he would hang up soon so she could get back to Neji's beautifully written document.

"**When do you think you'll be finished?"**

Now Sasuke had never been annoying before but suddenly Sakura had the urge to strangle him. Why on earth was he suddenly so interested in her life?

"I don't know Sasuke-kun. I've still got a bunch to read through." She watched as Fubuki played with the rubber ball she bought yesterday at the store.

"**What are you doing tonight?" **

"If you aren't careful Sasuke-kun I'm going to start thinking that you actually like me," she said in a teasing tone. "Naruto is coming over tonight to hang out. He is going to lunch today with Hinata and he's going to tell me all about it when he gets here."

"**So you're busy all day…"**

"Sorry Sasuke-kun. Maybe we can go get lunch one day after training."

_Actually I'm not sorry at all. Please get off the phone so I can get back to work and get my reading over with!!!_

"**Fine. We are having lunch tomorrow after training."** The way he said it left no room to argue.

"Sure Sasuke-kun, I'll see you then. Bye." She hung up, fairly sure that he hung up long before she did.

She turned to look at her cat who was now licking her paws and purring.

"Fubuki, what is wrong with boys today?"

"Meow!" was Fubuki's answer. Her little pink nose was up in the air waiting to be pet. Sakura giggled and granted the kitten's request.

"I agree!" she stated.

She was about to move and get Fubuki a cup of milk when the blasted phone rang again.

_What are they trying to do, set some kind of record?_

"Why won't they just leave me alone!!!" she yelled to anyone who might be listening which probably consisted of her cat, the ceiling, and the refrigerator. Then she grabbed the phone.

"Hello?" she said, as if she hadn't just yelled at the world.

"**Hello Sakura, this is Neji."**

_Oh my God! Forget about leaving me alone. Stay on the phone as long as you like._

"Hi Neji-kun. How has your day been so far?"

"**Quite nice actually." **

"Well, that's good. What's up?" She asked, trying to sound like she didn't want to force every detail of his day out of him.

"**I called because I have two messages for you, one of them from a very sorry ninja."** His tone had a bit of satisfaction in it. Perhaps he had knocked some sense into her stalkers and had found pleasure in doing so.

"Oh really? Who are the messages from?"

"**The first one is from Konohamaru-chan. He would like to tell you that he is truly sorry that he over reacted to the news of your condition. He would also like to tell you that he thinks you are the prettiest kunoichi in Konoha."**

_Well that sounds like a suck up comment if ever I've heard one._

"Why didn't he just tell me that himself Neji-kun?"

"**He said that he didn't want to get hit,"** he said with a deep baritone chuckle towards the end. Sakura couldn't help but blush, but whether it was from embarrassment or the attractive sound coming from her friend she wasn't quite sure.

"Oh… well, who is the second message from?"

"**Ah, that one is from Tenten who would like to tell you that she will try to keep an eye on Lee for you so that he's not too unbearable. And to add on to that, I would like to apologize for my teammate's behavior."**

"There is no need to do that Neji-kun. I'm used to it," she said as she began to make some tea.

"**You shouldn't have to be. I spoke with him. He assured me that the bear was the last unusually large sign of affection you will receive from him. But he did mention that you might get a box of chocolate or two in the future."**

Sakura laughed.

"That I can deal with."

"**So, how is your cat?"**

_Hold up! How does he know about Fubuki?_

"She's fine. How do you know about her? I just got her yesterday and I haven't seen you since the day before that."

_Maybe he gave me Fubuki. If he did then I will seriously love that cat more than I already do._

"**Well, I was taking a walk yesterday when I saw you and the kitten. I also saw Lee, Sasuke, and the medic you work with while I was out. They all seemed a bit preoccupied."**

"Yeah, they were proabably all hiding in the trees spying. Well, except for Sasuke. I can't imagine him doing that. Anyway, are you busy tomorrow Neji-kun?"

_Please don't be busy, please don't be busy!!!_

"**No, I am not. Would you like to train after lunch?"**

_Hell yes!!!_

"Sure, I could use the extra practice," she said as she poured herself a cup of tea and took a small sip.

"**I will see you then Sakura. Oh, I should mention that Fubuki has a certain fondness for canned tuna. See you tomorrow." **

"Bye Neji-kun!" she placed the phone down and went to get a can of tuna from the cabinet.

As she watched Fubuki eat the fish with enthusiasm it suddenly hit her.

_He knew her name. He knows what she likes… HE GAVE ME FUBUKI!!!_

Her thrilled squeal could be heard quite a ways away.

* * *

End Comments: So, the plot thickens and we found out who gave Sakura Fubuki. And she has a date with Sasuke. This chapter was up way sooner than I expected. So the next one I am planning on having out by Thursday but at this rate you may find it out sooner than that. I hope you liked it! Review if you feel so inclined. 


	7. Let's Take An Early Lunch

Author's Note: Mai-baa-san is one of Sakura's elderly neighbors that I made up. I might add her into the story later but I'm not sure. I have assumed that Hanabi is about five years younger than Sakura. We can assume that Hanabi and Sakura know each other from Sakura visiting the Hyuuga compound to see either Hinata or Neji. Sasuke may seem a little OOC but right now he is fuming mad. Not only has he not gotten Sakura a gift like the other two did but he has also missed his opportunity to see if he was the "chosen one". He's just having a bit of bad luck. And I don't know if Sai really dislikes Sasuke but for the sake of adding to Sasuke's bad day he does. Enjoy!

Summary: Tsunade decides that Sakura has been single for far too long. With the helpof a jutsu can Tsunade shove her apprentice in the right direction for love and hopefully a couple of adorable grandkids? NejiXSakura.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters therein.

* * *

"Sakura-chan how do you expect me to beat you if you break my arm every time we train together?" Naruto wailed as she healed his broken limb.

"Well, if your bones weren't so fragile I wouldn't break them nearly as often. You really should drink more milk," She said going into doctor mode.

The day had started off peaceful so far. Naruto and Sakura had breakfast together and then met up with Kakashi and Sai for some training. Sasuke had not shown up but that wasn't unusual considering the fact that now a days he preferred to train on his own. After running a few laps around the city Naruto and Sakura sparred together while Kakashi read and Sai drew.

A few minutes went by in relative silence. The only noise to be heard was Naruto's occasional whimpering.

"There you go Naruto, all fixed up," Sakura said smiling brightly at the boy.

"Thanks Sakura-chan."

_Does Naruto ever stop smiling? I swear he even smiles after I've kicked his ass!_

"Naruto, you and Sai should spar for a while. Sakura-chan would you be so kind as to help me with my push-ups?" Kakashi asked already placing his book open on the ground so he could read it as he worked out.

"Yeah, sure," She said as she moved to lay back to back with Kakashi. No sooner had she done that then the even motion of Kakashi's one finger push-ups started.

Aside for the two male ninja taunting each other as they fought a ways away, every thing was quiet for a while.

"Kaka-sensei?" she inquired sleepily.

"Yeah." came her reply as always.

"I got a call from Sasuke yesterday," she said in a way that insinuated that she was seeking advice.

"What did he want?" Kakashi's voice always sounded so bored but Sakura knew he was actually interested.

_I wonder if it's some sort of medical condition where his voice can't show any other emotion other than boredom. Hmm… I'll have to look into it._

"Well, at first he kept asking me what I was doing yesterday and then when I told him I was busy he asked me what I was doing today. Then he said we were going to eat together for lunch." Her words were getting more and more frazzled and frantic as she continued.

"Do you want to go eat with him Sakura-chan?" Sakura had to think about it for a minute.

"No, not really. I wouldn't mind eating with him if I knew it was just as friends but I get the feeling there is more to this than that."

"If you think there is more to it, then there probably is." He said quietly, hinting to her that she was indeed correct.

"What should I do?"

It was moments like this when Kakashi would find himself playing father. As much as he didn't show it he relished in the fact that Sakura trusted him so much.

"I say we leave early for lunch. Does Ichiraku sound good?"

_Yes! If we leave early then Sasuke will be here by himself and I would have already eaten. And I have plans after lunch so I am conveniently booked for the day._

"RAMEN? Is it time for lunch already?" Naruto half asked half shouted as he bounced up and down in anticipation.

"Yeah. Let's go," Kakashi said as Sakura stood up.

The walk to Ichiraku was a typical one filled with insults, injuries, and whines of pain. By the time the group got to the stand the Naruto sported at least two lumps on the top of his head and you could see the beginnings of a black eye dusting one of Sai's eyes.

They all sat down in their typical order; first was Kakashi on the right, then Sakura, next to her was Naruto, and on the left was Sai.

After the first couple of bowls (Kakashi wasn't eating anything) Sakura and Sai had both stopped but Naruto, as per usual, was still going strong. He was just finishing up his seventh bowl and his eight had just been placed in front of him still steaming.

Sakura stood up and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Boys, I'm going to head home for a bit. I need to check on Fubuki and make sure she's okay." Naruto nodded in understanding.

"Alright Sakura-chan. We'll see you after lunch!"

Sakura was just about to leave when out of no where that feeling came again. Only this time it was stronger.

Before Sakura had time to warn anyone about what was happening her body was already moving. In the blink of an eye she had somehow rammed into Naruto's back. The poor boy hadn't know and at the same moment Sakura hit him he had moved in to start his next bowl of ramen.

Splash!

"AHHH! Sakura-chan it burns!" yelled the hyper boy as he fell backwards with a now empty bowl stuck to his face. Sakura, who was still behind him, ended up on the ground with a whimpering Naruto on her stomach.

"Get off of me Naruto! I need to heal your face."

Naruto quickly jumped up and turned to face her. Kakashi and Sai stood on both sides of her to witness the damage the boiling ramen had caused to their friends face.

She gently pulled the bowl away from his forehead only to quickly place it back. Naruto's face was as red as a lobster and would probably start blistering soon.

_That's it! I'm going home and I am going to lock myself in my apartment. I'm a hazard to society!!!_

"Come on Naruto. Let go back to my house and get you fixed up," she said and then when she saw the state of his clothes decided to add, "and get you cleaned up while we're at it."

As Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi moved away from the stand Sakura called back to Sai.

"Sai, if you see Sasuke-kun, tell him I've already had lunch and that I'm busy for the rest of the day."

"Sure thing, Ugly." Sai just smiled at the trio as they walked away.

-------------------------------------------------------

Mean while back at the training grounds, Sasuke was tired of waiting.

_Where the hell is she? I said we would have lunch and it's time for lunch NOW._

A few more minutes of silence passed as he thought about what on earth to get her and where on earth she could possibly be.

_I might as well give up on the gift. Nothing is going to beat the cat and Yamanaka was nowhere to be found yesterday, so I couldn't ask her. Why is it that when ever you want to find a woman in this town, you never can?_

Getting annoyed he stuck his hands in his pockets and moved away from the training grounds to the mostly likely place to find Sakura at this time.

_Ichiraku…_

He expected to find not only Sakura but Naruto and Kakashi there as well, but upon arrival there was only Sai sitting there. The boy turned to face him with no expression what so ever.

"You just missed them. She said to tell you that she already ate, which is what you get for not training with the team if you ask me, and that she is busy for the rest of the day."

It was obvious to Sasuke that this boy did not like him. Sai obviously wasn't the type that was going to help him in anyway but there was no harm in trying.

"And what is she busy doing?" his voice came out as more of a growl than anything else.

_I might have wanted to sound a little nicer than that…_

The boy shrugged but didn't seem to be paying attention to the fact that Sasuke had all but snarled and barred his teeth at him.

"How should I know what she's doing? Probably playing with the cat she won't shut up about. She could be stuck babysitting Naruto for the rest of the afternoon. Or you might find her training with the Hyuuga. She'll be in a good mood then." Sai said with a smirk.

With a growl and a glare Sasuke disappeared.

----------------------------------------------------

"Fubuki!" was Sakura's laughter filled cry as she surveyed her now flour covered kitchen.

While she was gone, it seemed that Fubuki had ransaked her kitchen and discovered the flour bag.

_Oh the wonders of having claws and sharp teeth..._

Sakura picked up her now white cat and placed her into Kakashi's hands. The cat and the one eyed jounin just stared at each other while Sakura healed Naruto. The sight was actually quiet funny. Kakashi, while comfortable reading porn in public, seemed to be uncomfortable holding a cat. Kakshi continuted to hold Fubuki at arms lenght until Sakura was finished healing Naruto.

"Oh, for heaven's sake Kaka-sensei, give me Fubuki," she said laughing at him. "Naruto you come with me and bring your jump suit with you. Kaka-sensei, please sweep up the flour."

Surprisingly both men did what she asked with out complaint. A few minutes later Naruto came back out in his orange boxers and a black tee-shirt that he had lent Sakura to sleep in.

"So, she steals your clothes too? And here I thought I was special," Kakashi said in amusement as Naruto scratched the back of head.

"Yeah, she does. She claims that she feels awkward buying girly night gowns and just as awkward buying men's shirts. So she keeps one of my tee-shirts to sleep in." The foxy grin was spread across his face.

"Well, she keeps at least two of my shirts with her all the time."

"TWO? Sakura-chan, that's not fair. You like Kakashi-sensei more than you like me!" he said accusingly.

"His shirts are more comfortable than yours. Get over it!" she yelled back to him.

The door bell rang and a pouting Naruto went to answer it. The person on the other side shocked him. Kakashi waited for Naruto to start talking and when the blond remained silent he moved to the door.

"Ah, Hyuuga Hanabi. Is there something you needed from Sakura?" He asked, slightly surprised.

_This must seem a little strange… I'm holding a dust pan full of flour and Naruto is in his boxers._

The young girl looked around and eyed them suspiciously until she heard Sakura's laughter in the background.

"Yes actually. Do you mind if I go and talk to her?" the Hyuuga girl asked. The Hyuuga girl was an interesting mix of Hyuuga personalities. She had Neji's blunt and to the point way of saying things but at the same time she tended to be a little shy and hesitant around new people, rather like Hinata.

"Sure. Come on in. Sakura-chan, you have a visitor!" Naruto called back at Sakura as he closed the door behind Hanabi.

"Oh, Hanabi-chan, what brings you here?" asked the medic-nin as she came out covered in bubbles with a drenched Fubuki in her arms.

"A message from Nii-san, Sakura-san." The young Hyuuga girl said smiling, which was an odd sight indeed.

"Oh? Come on back. I was just giving Fubuki a bath. You can help if you like." The two girls left the living room and walked into the bathroom chatting about something.

There was a frantic knock on the front door. The chakra signature was too familiar. Naruto grabbed the flour laden dust pan from Kakashi.

_Not a shot in hell. You are not getting any where near my Sakura-chan!_

He sung the door open to find an irate Sasuke on the other side.

"Is Sakura home dobe?" the sharingan user asked in a rather snippy tone.

"Yeah, but she's got a guest and your not allowed in," he said with a wide grin as a plan formed in his mind.

Kakashi, who knew his students all too well, looked around the kitchen for a certain object and positioned himself by the window.

"Why am I not allowed in, dobe?" Sasuke asked with a serious snarl added at the end. He looked about ready to pounce but that didn't stop Naruto's smile.

"Because you're dirty," he said as a chorus of giggles sounded from the bathroom.

Sasuke had been so busy trying to see Sakura and her guest that he stopped paying attention to Naruto. Before he knew it white clouded his vision and the front door was slammed in his face.

A scowl slowly spread onto his features. It was then that a flash went off. There in the window was Kakashi, crescent eye and all, waving with a camera in his hand.

"Kakashi! Dobe! Open the damn door!" he half yelled as he banged on the door. When the curtains to the window closed he snarled at the door and the two shinobi behind it before leaving in a shower of leaves.

_So neither one of them wants me any where near Sakura… Too bad. They are just going to have to get used to the idea. _

----------------------------------------------------

After cooing over a sudsy Fubuki, which took more time than one could imagine, the girls got down to business and by business we mean small talk.

"So, how have you been Hanabi-chan?" Sakura asked as she proceeded to place a struggling and scowling Fubuki in the sink basin full of warm water.

"Good. I recently passed my chuunin exam a few weeks ago." Hanabi said trying to hide the pride in her voice.

"That's so exciting Hanabi-chan! Neji-kun told me all about it the last time we sparred. He's very proud of you." Sakura watched as a small shy smile grew on Hanabi's face.

"Speaking of Nii-san, he asked me to tell you that he won't be able to make it to your training session this afternoon." Hanabi watched as Sakura's expression fell just a fraction.

"Oh? Why is that? Did he say?" Sakura asked curiously. Hanabi just giggled.

"He didn't have to. He was placed on guard duty this afternoon by the Hokage. He went looking for you to tell you and in the process ended up running late for his shift. I passed him by on the way here. I don't think I've ever seen Nii-san pout before today." Hanabi said with a sly grin.

Sakura had the decency to blush as she took a towel and dried Fubuki off. For a few minutes there was silence as Sakura tought of wat to say in response to Hanabi's blatant implication.

Sakura then grinned at the younger girl.

"Tell him it's okay but he owes me an extra training session next week."

"I don't think he will object Sakura-san. I have to go. Father and I are going to train together and he hates it when I'm late." Hanabi said as she rolled her eyes.

_At least I think she rolled her eyes. You can never really tell with the byakugan._

"Bye Hanabi-chan, see you soon!" and with that Hanabi disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Sakura wrapped the towel she had been using around Fubuki and went into the kitchen.

"Did someone come to the door while I was with Hanabi-chan. I heard a bit of noise." She said suspiciously looking between her two boys.

They were both in the same stance, one foot crossed over the other while the scratched the back of their heads. The only difference was Naruto's mega watt grin in comparison to Kakashi simple upturned eye.

_Who the hell did they terrorize this time? I hope it wasn't Mai-baa-san. They might give her a heart attack. _

Taking a look at the dust pan in Naruto's free hand and the camera in Kakashi's, Sakura sighed and just shook her head.

"I don't even want to know. I'll develop the photos later. Anyone up for a movie?"

* * *

End Comments: I don't know if I like this chapter. I know, I know. Your all going to be upset that she didn't get to spend any time with Neji but I promise to make up for it later. In any case, Gaara arrives in Konoha in the next chapter and I plan on having a bit of fun with that one. Anyway, I hope you liked it. Review if you feel so inclined. 


	8. House Hunting!

Author's note: Not much to say here. As far as the three dark figures go, you can choose who you want them to be but I threw in a wild card. Two of them should be obvious. Gaara came into town with Temari and so he has been around, but MIA since the beginning of the fic. We can assume that he's been taking care of Kage business. I'm not sure if Gaara normally drinks but in this fic he is going to maturely want a bit of sake during his tedious Kage meeting. He's not a perv either and he still has a remanent of Shukaku in him. Anyway, enjoy!

Summary: Tsunade decides that Sakura has been single for far too long. With the help of a jutsu can Tsunade shove her apprentice in the right direction for love and hopefully a couple of adorable grandkids? NejiXSakura.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters therein.

* * *

There was an annoying noise in her ear and it wasn't Fubuki's purring. It was something other than the content morning noises of her cat. 

_It can't be the alarm clock. I smashed that one days ago and I haven't had time to replace it yet._

Whatever the noise was it wasn't as loud as her alarm clock but it had the same annoying quality.

"The phone!" she cried jumping out of her bed which sent Fubuki bouncing into the air.

She grabbed the phone and answered it just slightly out of breath.

"Hello?"

"**Sakura, I need you down at my office right now,"** came Tsunade's voice over the phone line. She sounded agitated which could mean one of two things; she had a lot of paper work or she had run out of sake.

"You're not going to practice any more jutsus on me are you?" Sakura asked suspiciously.

"**Just get your ass down here!"** and then an agitated Tsunade hung up.

_Some people are just so touchy in the mornings!_

The rush to get dressed went by in a blur. She set out food and water for Fubuki and hurried out the door.

The run to Hokage tower was a short one taking into consideration that jumping from roof top to roof top took a lot less time than walking. In a matter of minutes she was patiently waiting for Tsunade to let her into the office.

"Sakura, come in!" The voice was still agitated implicating that Tsunade had not yet had her morning sake.

"Good morning Tsunade-shishou!" she said in a cheery voice as she entered the office.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I have a mission for you Sakura," Tsunade said as she pounded a stamp onto random papers, probably not even marking them in the right places, but if she was trying to damage her desk she was doing a bang up job.

"Oh? And what would that be?" Sakura asked trying with all her might to restrain her body from leaping over the desk and strangling her beloved shishou.

_I really will kill her if this stupid jutsu picks someone like… Oh, I hate to uses names but HIKO!!!_

"The Kazekage has been in town for the last few days. As you know he has recently been here a good deal and as we are allies he would like to secure a residence here. In a few months I will be doing the same thing in Suna." The Hokage stated absently.

_Joy… that means I get to take over all of your boring paper work for a whole fun filled and adventurous week. Bring on the sake and dumplings!_

"What does that have to do with me Tsunade-shishou?" A smirk spread across Tsunade's face.

_That can't be good._

"You are going to accompany him around town and help him find either a house or an apartment, which ever he should choose. He specifically requested you for this job but I'm not quite sure why."

_You have got to be kidding me!_

"But shishou-" Sakura's protest was interrupted by an impatient Tsunade.

"You're going and that's the end of it. Now go downstairs. He should be waiting for you outside."

Sakura walked out of Tsunade's office in a bit of a daze. Her mind was numb with shock as she walked down the stairs but as soon as she saw the shock of red hair in the distance reality came crashing down on her.

_Oh God! We're going to look like a set of newly weds looking for a house! Someone up there must be out to get me…_

She knew that Gaara knew she was there and so making her presence known was not necessary. He turned to look at her and seemed a little puzzled as to why she had remained so far from him. After all, twenty feet was a bit far when greeting a friend for the first time in months.

"Something wrong?" he asked with that deep expressionless tone.

"No Gaara-kun, I'm fine. I just… I just don't know how safe it is for me to approach you at this time." she said racking a hand through her hair.

If Gaara had eye brows they would have raised.

"Explain." He stated firmly.

"Well, did you hear a rumor about the Magnetism Jutsu being used on someone?" For a moment Gaara seemed to take in her hesitant stature. As per usual there was a customary pause before Gaara spoke again.

"I see. You think it might be me." His arms were folded over his chest in a way that drew Sakura's attention to his broad shoulders.

He was handsome, she would give him that. He was tall now, and his red disheveled hair hung into his face and framed it. And as for the black circles around his eyes, well, they just made his pale green eyes stand out even more. His face was long and thin, perhaps even aristocratic, rather like someone else she knew.

_Neji-kun… I wonder when he got off of guard duty last night. I hope he got enough sleep..._

She brought her wandering thoughts back to the Kazekage.

"Yes, there is always that possibility. And don't think I was just hesitant to get close to you. Naruto and Kaka-sensei went through the same sort of thing."

There were another few moments of silence, which didn't seem to bother Gaara but felt strange to Sakura. That was one thing about being friends with the silent Kazekage, you had to get used to him not making any effort to speak.

"I don't think you have to worry. I've been in town for a few days now."

_That's exactly why I'm worrying. I don't know where you've been! For all I know you could be the one who passed by Ichiraku at a rapid rate yesterday. You could have even been the guy in the market a few days ago._

"So how do you want to do this?" Sakura asked fiddling with the hem of her black shirt.

He took a piece of paper out from his vest and let his sand take it to her. It was a list of the apartments and homes they would be looking at.

"You know Konoha much better than I do. You lead and I will follow at this distance."

Sakura smiled at her companion. Gaara always knew how to take your oddities in stride.

Looking at the houses was not a problem. Gaara was easily able to stay about twenty feet from her most of the time. When they traveled through the market Gaara made what looked like a rope of sand and had it wrap around her wrist in order to insure that they didn't separate in the crowds. This brought funny looks from the villagers but if they found it amusing none of them said anything.

The problems came when they tried to enter into the apartments. Most of the apartments were small and already furnished which did not allow the two companions the space Sakura seemed comfortable with. And so after their first apartment exploration Gaara simply stated, "I trust your judgment," and let her examine the apartments while he waited outside. So far nothing had caught his or her eye.

It was just about time for lunch when Sakura realized that she still needed to check on Fubuki and Gaara's list of possible homes seemed no smaller than when she first saw it.

"Umm, Gaara-kun?" She asked, sort of nervous about what she was going to propose.

"Yes," was his one word answer, not that she had expected anything longer than that.

"I was recently given a pet and I need to head back to my house to check on her. Would you mind coming with me?" Again there was a pause after her question. Gaara never seemed to answer anything with out thinking of ever possible answer he could give.

_I don't think he's ever seen my apartment before. I hope I didn't leave anything embarrassing out. Did I put that box of tampons away? I can't remember! I really, really hope so…_

"Of course," he said and so the two headed, twenty feet away from each other, to her house.

When they got there Sakura looked back at Gaara and made a decision.

_This is ridiculous! I don't feel that way for Gaara and I never have so why am I being so paranoid about this? There is absolutely no reason for me to be acting like this and treating him so poorly._

With an out stretched hand she slowly approached Gaara. The man gave her a questioning look but remained completely still as she approached. She stopped about five feet away with a happy and relieved grin.

"Well, if I can get this close to you with out incident then it's not you."

Only it would seem that she had spoken too soon. Just then three dark figures landed under the awning leading to the stair well a little ways behind Gaara swinging punches and kicks at each other with great force. She shouldn't make out who they were; the shadows were covering them and the glare was in her eyes.

It was then that she felt the tug. Actually it was more like a jerk. She went flying towards Gaara but instead of hitting him she flew straight into his sand shield. Her mouth was full of sand when she felt her body being pulled into the sand shield. As soon as she passed trough the shield she went flying to the other side only to be stopped once again.

_Now I've got sand in my shirt, my hair, and who knows where else!_

Sakura realized that there must have been a reason for Gaara to stop her from flying towards the two figures.

"They are in the middle of a fight," was all he said on the matter.

"In front of my house?!" she yelled into the sand.

"So it would seem. Let's move away from them." And before she knew it she was being dragged to safety behind the firmly closed doors of her apartment.

"Who was that?" she demanded after Gaara took down the shield. A shrug of the shoulders was her answer.

She looked around quickly, eyes wide, taking in her apartment's state.

_Thank god! No tampons, underwear, or bras in the immediate vicinity. Now if he somehow manages to wander into my room that may be a very different story._

A loud noise from out side told her that Mai-baa-san had started throwing pots at the roudy visitors. Deciding that whoever it was would go away soon enough, Sakura went searching for Fubuki. After a few minutes of looking around she realized that she needn't have bothered.

There on the island counter was Fubuki staring up at the red haired Kazekage and it looked like she was ready to pounce on his head. The funny thing was that Gaara was staring right back at the cat. After a couple of minutes Gaara held out this hand and Fubuki jumped on it purring.

As Gaara gently scratched Fubuki's ear he looked at Sakura.

"I get along better with animals," he said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

A noise in the bathroom caught their attention. It sounded like the shower was being turned on. All three heads turned to the noise and Sakura looked at Gaara.

Pulling out a kunai she made her way to the bathroom with Gaara and Fubuki following behind her. Holding up her hand to signal a count down the three of them got ready to attack.

Three… two… one!

Sakura slammed the door open and a scream filled the air. At first there was no movement and then something, a bar of soap went flying past her head.

_Hey! That's my bar of soap your chucking missy!_

"Forehead-girl, shut the door!"

There was Ino using her shower and staring at an impassive and uncaring Kazekage. Embarrassed for her friend, she quickly shut the door.

_Well, that's what she gets for using my shampoo! The only person other than me allowed to use it is Pakkun! And he's not a person!!!  
_

Gaara and Sakura silently made their way back into the kitchen. Gaara sat at the table while Sakura made him some tea.

The encounter with Ino had reminded her of another embarrassing encounter with the Kazekage. A few months ago there had been a Kage meeting in Konoha. Being Tsunade's assistant Sakura had been seated at the table next to her shishou. The meeting had dragged on and both Tsunade and Gaara looked sufficiently bored. The Land of Water's Kage was droning on and on about something and nobody else in the room seemed to care.

It was then that she felt something grainy moving up her leg, over her lap and into her shirt. Trying not to blush or burst out into accusations Sakura attempted to keep her cool. The worst part was the Gaara wasn't even looking at her. The slow moving sand eventually reached her breast and that's when it stopped. Gaara looked at her in surprise and a blush rose to her cheeks when she remembered that he could feel whatever his sand was feeling. The sand retreated rather quickly but it left something in its wake. There was a note that said **"Do you have any sake?"**. Obviously the whole thing was a complete misunderstanding.

After the meeting he apologized and explained that he was trying to contact Tsunade. He realized his mistake when he had hit a certain part of her anatomy. While Tsunade's breasts might be bigger than Sakura's, her torso was also much longer and so Gaara had realized he had the wrong person. She laughed at his expense for a few minutes and asked if he did that to her poor shishou often. He didn't seem phased when he answered positively.

"You'll understand the need for sake during a meeting if you ever become Hokage. They all tend to be the same and one feels the need to numb their mind after a while. The best way to ask with out being noticed is by using my sand, although I can't say it's ever gone up her shirt before." Sakura marked that down as the longest answer he had ever given her to a question. They chalked it up to Shukaku acting up again. His mistake forgiven, they never spoke of it again.

Her thoughts were interrupted by two things, first being the bathroom door opening and the second being that the tea was finished.

Setting down a cup in front of Gaara she sat in the chair to his right. Fubuki left the sand masters hand settled herself in Sakura's lap. Moments later Ino clad in a very wide tee-shirt and a pair of very short shorts sat down on Sakura's right.

"Just be glad you're not a pervert cause then I've have to beat the shit out of you." She said looking Gaara straight in the eye.

"Ino-pig!" Sakura said sending a glare in the blonde's direction before turning to Gaara. "Are you hungry Gaara-kun?" Taking his slight nod as a yes Sakura placed Fubuki down in the chair and went to go make something.

"Sorry Gaara-san but you are going to have to endure a bit of girl talk while you wait," Ino said before continuing, "You'll never guess who got the guts to ask me on a date Forehead."

"Who?" Sakura asked as she sent an apologetic look to Gaara who seemed completely unfazed. She got out the makings for miso soup as Ino let out a large squeal.

"Chouji! I'm going on a date with Chouji tonight!"

"I assume that is why you were taking a shower at my house. You want to borrow my blue dress, don't you?" Sakura smiled at Ino who had a pleading look in her eyes. No one spoke for a few minutes as Ino tired to put on her best puppy dog look but Sakura, having gotten used to Kiba's puppy face, was not moved in the slightest.

"Please Sakura? I know you've never worn it before but-"

"Sure, you can use it. Hell, you can have it. I don't look good in blue anyway." Sakura said as she shrugged. Ino jumped out of her chair and hugged Sakura with all her might.

"Thank you, Forehead!" When the blonde pulled back she seemed to remember something.

She raced from the room and Sakura took the opportunity to place a bowl of soup in front of Gaara and make one for herself and Ino. When Ino came back in she was carrying a box.

"I forgot to mention that I brought something to replace the blue dress with. I found it while I was looking for a dress for me this morning and it simply screamed you." She said as she handed the box to Sakura.

"Ino you didn't have to do this." Sakura said as she open up the package. Her eyes got wide and she lifted the little black dress up.

"I thought it would be a good addition to your collection of little back dresses." Ino's grin was wide and bright.

Sakura's collection of little black dresses was infamous among Konoha's kunoichi. The girl probably had at least twenty five black dresses if not more and each one was different. That's not to say that she didn't have dresses of other colors too. She had quite a few red dresses and a number of white ones too but her favorite ones to wear were the black ones which is why she had so many.

"I love it Ino. I'll wear it soon, I promise." she said thinking of the perfect time to wear the little black number.

"Well, I'd better start getting ready. Your bedroom is officially off limits." Ino said as she made her way towards the back room.

Things were quiet once again as Gaara ate and looked around the apartment for what seemed the first time since he stepped in it.

He took in the tan walls and the earthy tones that decorated the small dwelling. It was nice and not too small. The colors appealed to him and her taste was simple with a lot of straight lines. There was something more masculine about it all, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was. Everything was orderly and there were a few nice potted plants here and there. The paintings and photos on the walls were tasteful and now that he really looked he could see a photo of him, Naruto, and Lee on the window sill. There was also a picture of her, Kakashi, and Naruto on the coffee table. A pretty ink drawing of her and Sai was hanging on the wall obviously drawn by the boy. Lastly there was a large picute of her and Neji on her table.

_They look nice together..._ he thought to himself as he examined the photo that seemed to be taken at a festival.

"I like this apartment," was all he said and all he needed to say after a few more minutes of silence.

Sakura looked at him and then briefly looked out the window. She picked up the phone and a random furniture magazine that was on her coffee table.

"I'll call the land lady, Gaara-kun."

_Mission accomplished! Now I just have to find furniture and call Kaka-sensei for some decorating help… Why me?!_

* * *

End Comments: So, Gaara's moving into Sakura's apartment complex. Not that that's a big deal or anything. So there is another man down. Ino and Chouji are going out. The next man to arrive is Kiba and that's going to be fun to write. Gaara will be in the next chapter too for a bit and I hope to squeeze Neji in as well. Sasuke will be there without a doubt and he'll be there in the chapter after that too. And for those of you that wanted it you now know how Gaara got sakura to blush. Kakashi is the one who helped Sakura decorate her apartment, if you were wondering. Review if you want to! I would appreciate it!!! 


	9. I Won't Tell If You Don't

Author's Note: Gaara is not buying Sakura's apartment. He is moving into one just like it up a few floors. Sorry if that was a little confusing. If you've noticed that Sakura has stopped calling Sasuke "Sasuke-kun" I'll give you a cookie…well, maybe not but I would if I could. She has known Kiba since they were kids so I think it is fair to say that she knows him well enough. Anyway, enjoy!

Summary: Tsunade decides that Sakura has been single for far too long. With the help of a jutsu can Tsunade shove her apprentice in the right direction for love and hopefully a couple of adorable grandkids? NejiXSakura.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters therein.

* * *

"Gaara-kun, do you like the dark cherry wood or the black better?"

This whole process was a serious pain. Yesterday afternoon when Sakura called the land lady she hadn't known that there was going to be this much commotion over the Kazekage moving into the building.

Gaara had chosen an apartment on the top floor that was very similar to her own and now all that needed to be done was the decorating. Kakashi would be coming over the next day to help move the new furniture in. Until it was all finished Gaara would be staying on her couch.

"I have no preference. What ever you like best." He said in a quiet monotone.

"Alright then, black it is," she said circling a few tables in the magazine she had so she could look at them later. "I have to go to the hospital for my shift in a few minutes. Will you be okay here?"

Gaara nodded and picked up Fubuki who was rubbing her head against his leg.

"Have fun," he said as he opened her fridge and dug around looking for lunch.

Sakura grinned at her house guest and grabbed her things before heading out the door.

As she walked down the street to the hospital she could hear the whispers of people as she walked by.

"**Did you hear that the Kazekage is staying at her house?"**

"**The jutsu choose. But can you believe that it choose Sabaku no Gaara for Haruno Sakura? I never saw that coming."**

"**It's so indecent to let that man stay at her home with out supervision."**

_I guess someone saw me fly into the sand shield yesterday. The whole town is a bunch of nosy gossips!_

The whispers almost made her feel self conscious but then soemthing clicked and made her stand up straight.

_Since when is it their business anyway? Who cares about what they think! Gaara is my friend and he can stay at my house if he wants to._

And with her head held high she made her way to hospital.

The moment she entered the lobby went silent. Looking around she could see a line of people waiting to be treated.

_It's going to be a long day…_

----------------------------------------------

He couldn't find her anywhere.

Rumors had been spreading like wild fire. Some people were saying that she was the Kazekage's secret lover. Others were saying that the jutsu had chosen Gaara to be her husband.

_It makes no difference. I still need to see her and speak with her before the Uchiha does. She might get the wrong idea…_

He hadn't seen Sakura in days and it was finally catching up to him. There had been a time where he would have considered this dependency a weakness but now it just seemed like a part of his daily life.

_I haven't seen her in almost a week. _

He had gotten used to seeing her almost everyday and at the least every couple of days as long ass he wasnt on a mission.

_I miss her._

He jumped onto the landing in front of her door and knocked. The wait seemed like minutes when really it was only a few seconds. When the door opened he began to wish it hadn't.

_So there is some truth to the rumors this time._

Sabaku no Gaara was in the door way of Sakura's home looking quite comfortable. He was wearing black pants and a tight tee-shirt and his gourd was resting next to the couch.

"If you come inside I'll tell you where she is. I want to speak with you, Hyuuga," Gaara said as he stared into Neji's pearl colored eyes. When Neji made no move to comply Gaara folded his arms.

"Don't worry. Nothing's going on. I merely confiscated her TV last night. Come in." This time it was a command.

_I didn't know Gaara liked to watch TV… must be hard not to sleep. It's probably even harder to fill the hours. He must get through a lot of paperwork at night._

Neji followed Gaara inside and mused about the things the Kazekage probably did to pass the time. But when Gaara turned to face him the look Neji received made him stop dead in his tracks.

_I think I'm about to get the "hurt her and you die" speech from one person I never expected to hear it from…_

-------------------------------------------------------

Sakura had just finished most of her cases for the day when the nurse handed her another clip board.

_Inuzuka Kiba what have you done this time?_

Shaking her head, she went towards room 345 where he was awaiting care.

She opened the door and threw Kiba a big grin as she pet Akamaru on the head.

_I know that I know that I know it's not Kiba. That would be like me falling in love with a more arrogant version of Naruto... Gross!_

The dog-nin grinned back at her and watched as she approached.

"So Kiba-kun, how did you manage all of this?" she asked looking at his bruised skin and broken nose.

"Well, I kind of got in the middle of a fight yesterday." He said scratching the back of his shaggy brown head.

"Really? What kind of a fight?" she asked curiously as she got out a pen and wrote down the injuries he had.

"A real one and it was over a girl. Can you believe it? You might actually find this very interesting," he said with a devious smirk.

"I would? Why is that?" she asked as she began to heal his nose.

"They were fighting over you. Sasuke and Neji that is. I never thought I'd see the day when those two ice cubes would go public with something like that." The moment Kiba mentioned Neji's name Sakura stopped healing.

_Oh my god! Neji-kun got in a fight with Sasuke. I hope he's okay. If Sasuke hurt my Neji-kun I'm gonna kick his ass!_

"Neji-kun? Neji-kun was involved? Is he okay?" her voice was full of concern and the look on her face was serious.

"Oh, he's better than fine. There's not a scratch on him. I should have just left it up to him to deal with Sasuke but I thought he could use some help. I ended up getting in the way and getting myself hurt." Kiba said with a pout. Sakura giggled and let out a sigh.

"So, Kiba-kun, who started it?"

"Definitely Sasuke. I heard he went looking for Neji but we're not really sure about that. What I do know is that Sasuke kept attacking until Neji started attacking him back. They ended up going all over town with the fight. I tried to hold Sasuke back but trust me when I say that it didn't work," he said with his arms crossed.

_Yeah I know. You ended up in front of my house, remember?_

"Did Neji-kun end up using the Byakugan?" She asked in a worried tone.

_If Neji-kun ended up using the Byakugan then Sasuke must have been using the Sharingan._

"Yeah, but not for long. After they pulled out their eye tricks the fight pretty much ended with Neji stopping Sasuke's chakra flow. I did come in handy when it came time to drag Sasuke's heavy ass back to his house." Kiba said with a canine grin.

"How did you manage to get this?" she asked pointing to a rather nasty black eye.

"Oh, that. Well, Sasuke was getting a little out of hand and so I told him that what you did or didn't do was none of his business. He didn't take that very well and wham!" Kiba sad as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

Sakura laughed and was about to go back to healing him when that funny feeling came over her again.

"Kiba-" was all she could get out before her body went sailing for the door.

Bam! Crunch...

_Ouch! That one really hurt!!! Somebody call the medic! Wait… I am the medic, damn it!_

Kiba could only blink at her. She knew that who ever was on the other side of the door way was already walking past and the feeling was fading already.

_They must be in a rush again…_

When Sakura was able to move she removed herself from the door and turned to look at the damage she caused.

_Tsunade-shishou is going to kill me! Best get out of here before anyone but the two of us finds out.  
_

The metal door had bent in wards in a distinctly Sakura shaped dent. she punched a few more dents in the door making the shape less distinctive.

_That's it! I really am going to lock myself away this time._

"Wow…I won't tell if you don't." Kiba said as he stared at the door.

"Deal. I think it is safe to say that I'll be leaving now. I'll have someone else come and finish your treatment Kiba-kun." She said as she rubbed her now sore and probably bruised back.

"Sure thing, Sakura. Go home and relax." He said as she opened the now ruined door and left.

The elevator took forever and by the time she reached the first floor she could feel the purple swelling on her back.

The doors opened and what lay on the other side made her forget all about her back.

_Neji-kun!!!_

He was all the way across the lobby and just about out the door when he turned around and saw her. She could see the way his eyes lit up and she was positive hers were simply glowing. But then when she looked closer she could see that he seemed almost worried about something.

_Please come talk to me. I miss you…_

He had taken a step in her direction, obviously about to come over and see her when a hand clasped onto his shoulder.

Sakura looked behind Neji only to find Hiashi standing there.

_That can't be good._

A couple of words were exchanged between the two. Neji turned back to Sakura with and apologetic look and mouthed, **"I'll see you soon"**. Sakura grinned and nodded at him, but on the inside she was extremely disappointed.

_Way to go Hiashi-sama. Thanks for stealing my Neji-kun away and taking the light out of my crappy afternoon._

She ran a hand through her hair and made her way towards the front desk to pawn off her patients to other healers.

----------------------------------------------

_Well, I don't have to worry about Gaara anymore… _Neji thought has he made his way to the hospital.

The Kazekage had been very blunt and to the point.

"**I don't think of Sakura in that way. We are friends. She is merely helping me acquire living accommodations in Konoha."**

Oddly enough the red head didn't need to say anything else. Neji understood exactly what was going on. Gaara only had a few select friends and one of them was Naruto. It would seem that another was Sakura. It was obvious that he would want to spend time with her and getting her to do this was the perfect way.

When Neji entered the hospital it was almost night. His senses were hit with the familiar smell of rubbing alcohol that seemed to ooze from every crevice of the establishment. The place was always kept immaculate.

He walked to the front desk. He came to hospital every now and then to pick Sakura up for their training sessions and the nurse at the reception desk always knew him by name but he never could quite remember who she was.

_Well, I'm usually so occupied with seeing Sakura that I don't pay attention to other people._

"Good afternoon Hyuuga-san. What can I do for you today?" As usual he was greeted with a big smile.

"The whereabouts Haruno Sakura?" he asked quietly.

"Of course. Sakura-san should be somewhere on floor three if she is still tending to Inuzuka Kiba. But his case was not that serious. I would check the fifth floor first. Her next patient was up there."

"Thank you." He said and then proceeded to climb the stairs up to the fifth floor.

The fifth floor, for all appearances, was completely empty and void of all things Sakura. After checking the staff room and listening at every door for the sound of Sakura's voice, Neji was a little fed up.

Instead of using the stairs, this time he used the elevator, which happened to be closer to him.

_I ought to just use the Byakugan and be done with it._

He shook that thought away. Using his Byakugan was for tracking or finding something. Now, while Sakura was at this point a lost person he wasn't up for treating her like a something and the word tracking didn't sit right with him either.

_No, I'll only use it if I get really desperate._

He looked up to find Uchiha Sasuke walking down the same hallway he was.

_He must be looking for Sakura too. Hopefully this time he won't attack me. I don't feel like dealing with the clean up afterwards._

A loud noise disrupted his thoughts. And then something else registered in his mind.

_I know that smell. That is Sakura's smell._

But the smell was faint and over run by the smell of wet dog. She must have already moved on to another patient.

He met up with Sasuke at room 345. This time there were no punches exchanged but if looks could kill Neji would have been dead a few times over. Neji just smirked and kept walking.

_Why waste a glare on you when you're not even worth the effort Uchiha?_

Looking around he noticed only a few nurses towards the other end of the hallway and decided to try his luck at the training grounds or Ichiraku.

_Naruto will be there with Hinata-sama. I could always ask him to find Sakura for me._

With a sigh he stepped into the elevator and went down to the first floor.

When he got there the lobby was almost exactly as he left it. The nurse was still smiling and there were still patients waiting in line to be treated.

He looked around for something pink but all he could find was a little girl's pink shirt.

_Best head off to Ichiraku… Naruto ought to be eating dinner._

He was about to exit when he felt the need to turn around. There stepping out of the elevator towards him was Sakura looking as radiant as ever.

_I have to talk to her. I have to tell her that I haven't been avoiding her on purpose. I've been busy. Surely she will understand._

It then hit him as to why he was so desperate to see her. Well, he usually went out of his way to see her but his time it had been different. He didn't want her to feel that he was neglecting her. He had never once canceled a training session with her and they usually spent sometime together other than that. But this week he had been so busy. Between clan meetings, missions, and dreaded guard duty he hadn't had any time for anything else.

He was just about to march over to her and explain when a large hand clamped down on his shoulder.

_Who in their right mind would interrupt me now?_

When he turned he got his answer.

_Only Hiashi-sama would do that especially when it is obvious that I intend to do something._

"Hiashi-sama is there something you needed?" he asked in the most polite tone he could muster.

"Actually yes there is. The council would like your opinion in the meeting today."

_Another clan meeting… fate is truly cruel sometimes._

As his uncle guided him out of the building he sent one last look back to Sakura who was smiling at him.

"**I'll see you soon."** He mouthed at her and watched as her smile grew and she nodded.

_She's not mad. Thank you destiny for at least that granting me that. Now, I'll just have to make it up to her…_

-------------------------------------------------

Sakura was almost home when someone blocked off the street a ways in front of her. The street was narrow, in fact it was more like an alley way, and there was no way around him.

_Can't you stand somewhere other than in the middle of the road? Some people are so inconsiderate._

She jumped up to the roof of the building she stood in front of and was a little surprised when the person did the same thing only a few buildings down.

But as he jumped to a roof a little closer it all made sense.

_Sasuke…_

"I was looking for you at the hospital Sakura but I couldn't find you. You haven't been hiding from me by any chance, have you?"

_What the hell do I say to that?!_

* * *

End Comment's: Sorry about the cliffy but I couldn't help myself. But for those of you that wanted it we have our Neji/Sakura action. Next chapter is when Sasuke and Sakura come to and understanding. And she sets him straight on a few things. And I am so sorry about the update delay! My dad decided that Saturday would be a great day to start planting trees and he somehow managed to chop the wire for my house's internet. So I'm at my aunt's house doing this. I was finished with this last chapter Sunday morning. My internet doesn't get fixed till tomorrow, so you'll have to cut me some slack. 


	10. While You Were Away

Author's Note: Neji and Sakura are both missing each other but that is not part of the jutsu. The jutsu is purely physical. Other than that there is not much to say so enjoy!

Summary: Tsunade decides that Sakura has been single for far too long. With the help of a jutsu can Tsunade shove her apprentice in the right direction for love and hopefully a couple of adorable grandkids? NejiXSakura.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters therein.

* * *

"I was looking for you at the hospital Sakura but I couldn't find you. You haven't been hiding from me by any chance, have you?" 

_What the hell do I say to that?!_

He didn't give her much time to respond as he leapt to a roof a few houses down from the one she was on. She got the feeling that if she ran he would just chase her and she was in no mood to hide behind Gaara to make him go away.

"Don't make me hit you Sasuke," she said as she collected the chakra into her fists.

Sasuke did stop two roofs away but when he did she suddenly realized exactly how messy this conversation could get. No matter how much she wanted to hit him she couldn't let him get out of control, which is exactly what would happen if they did fight.

_We are above civilian homes. Someone could get hurt._

"I heard that you've been allowing Gaara to stay with you. Is that true?" By his tone Sakura could tell that he was at the end of his rope.

_I'll have to be careful. Any move in the wrong direction and this could turn violent. Never let anyone say that I don't know Uchiha Sasuke. My years as a fan girl were not totally useless._

"Yes, Sasuke it's true," she said with her head held high.

_I can't let him see any fear at all. He'll just use it to his advantage._

"Why?" His bangs covered his eyes and his hands were fisted at his sides.

"Because he is my friend and he needed a place to stay. I couldn't let him sleep out in the cold." This made his eyes snap up to hers.

_Eyes black as night, not eyes that look like pearls. I'd give almost anything to see those eyes right now.  
_

"Gaara doesn't sleep Sakura. Where was he staying before he was staying at your house?" he asked in a growl.

"I don't know Sasuke. I didn't ask. I'm helping him furnish his new house and it is better if he is with me during the process." She stood her ground and waited for him to respond.

"You seem to have a lot of excuses," he said with a sneer.

"No, I am giving you my reasons. Gaara will continue to stay at my house until his is ready or he is called back to Suna." This didn't seem to please Sasuke. The emotions rolling off of him raged from anger to frustration.

"You never used to be this defiant."

"I'm not the same as I used to be. I've changed," she said as she regarded him.

_All these years and he still looks like the same Sasuke, just a little bit taller… and maybe leaner features._

"It would seem that you have." He jumped to the end of the roof she stood on. The wind blew between them and blew her long hair into her face. He didn't seem angry any more. His demeanor was more docile.

_Well, it looks to me like someone is PMSing… first you're mad and now your docile. Make up your damn mind!_

"What changed?" he asked as he looked at her. Sakura sighed and let the chakra leave her hands.

"Lots of things, Sasuke. My hair grew. I changed my training outfit... twice. My favorite color is now black. I moved out of my parent's house. My parents died. I became a medic. I have better relationships with the people I love. I gained a brother, a mother, and a father. I got a pet. I learned to cook. In short I grew up Sasuke." Pushing her hair away from her face so that she could gauge the way he was taking this she saw his slightly dejected expression.

"You don't have a better relationship with me," he said as he took a step closer.

"You make it kind of hard to get close to you. If you don't talk to people they can't get to know you better. You hardly ever even acknowledged my presence Sasuke. How could you expect me to still love you?" her gaze was sad as she looked at him.

"So you did love me…" he said with is bangs hiding his face.

"I've never lied to you Sasuke."

"So you fell out of love while I was away. Did you fall back in love?" His question was met with silence.

_It's not love. It is not love. I am not in love with… Oh, who the hell am I kidding? I love Neji-kun._

"Sakura, did you fall in love while I was away?" His voice sounded as desperate as she had ever heard it but even then it wasn't quite desperate. It still had an edge to it, like a sword in a velvet sheath.

"It's hard to say. It wasn't while you were away. I wasn't in love with anyone when you came back. I wasn't in love with you or anyone else. But gradually I began to love someone... You were back at that point," she said as she lowered her gaze.

"Who was it?" He must have moved closer to her while her head was down because she could see his feet now.

"It's Neji-kun… I love Neji-kun."

Silence filled the air as her statement echoed.

_That's the first time I've said it out loud._

"I knew that you didn't love me anymore, but I hadn't expected you to love someone else." She looked up to meet his eyes. Emotion had left his voice and there was nothing in his eyes.

_Back to being a robot… fine. Two can play that game Sasuke._

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise to you," she said with a voice as empty as his.

He seemed to understand what she was trying to tell him because he dropped his mask.

"I wanted you to help me revive my clan." This time there was sadness in his tone. His eyes reflected things that could have been.

_I know what could have been, what could still be if I went with him now… and that is no longer what I want._

"I'm weak Sasuke." Her confession seemed to startle him.

"I am weak… I need to be loved in return for the love I give. And you don't love me." The truth of her words settled around them. After taking the truth in for a while he seemed ready to speak.

"You're right. I don't think I can love anyone anymore," he said looking into her green eyes that held so much strength, a complete contradiction to her previous statement.

"You're wrong Sasuke. Your closer to loving now then you have been since that night." Her hands came up to cup his face.

"You will find someone who loves you and even if you don't love her right away you will come to love her over time. But it won't be me. I'm sorry Sasuke." His hands moved over hers.

"I understand." He squeezed her hands and then let them go. Her hands dropped only to rest on her hips. she cleared her throat and shook her sadness away.

"Now, Sasuke, I have a bone to pick with you," she said, completely serious.

"Hn."

"Don't give me that. You were fighting with Neji-kun yesterday. According to Kiba you started it." He crossed his arms and sniffed defiantly as she gave him a playful smirk.

_Well, that answers that. _

She took a deep breath and let it all out.

"Uchiha Sasuke... How dare you! I can't believe you would start a fist fight with Neji-kun over me. Do you know how childish that is? You had better be thankful he beat you other wise I'd have to seriously hurt you! Honestly, you are so possessive sometimes that it's scary! I'll have no more of this. You hear me? No more!"

Sasuke stood and took the tongue lashing well, with the exception of a couple of flinches here and there. When she finished, Sakura found that she felt much better. Her lips moved into a smirk. She knew she had won.

"No more fights with Neji-kun. I hear about another one and I'll have Naruto kick your ass. I'd do it myself but I'll save you the embarrassment of having your ass handed to you by a girl." Sasuke smirked back at her before leaving in a shower of green foliage.

Sakura couldn't help but laugh and shake her head at his childish antics. Sasuke would pout for a few days but he would soon be back to being himself.

_Look out women of Konoha! Sasuke is looking for a wife!_

The trip home was short and full of thought as jumped from roof to roof.

_I wonder where Naruto is. I haven't seen him today or yesterday._

She opened the door to her apartment and looked around. Gaara wasn't anywhere obvious and neither was Fubuki.

"Gaara-kun?" she called and expected to see a red head come out of the bathroom or hear a gravely voice call out from somewhere.

Instead a little grey ball of fuzz bounded up to her and sat proud, waiting for her to pull the note off of her light blue collar.

Sakura, curious as to what the note said, pulled it off and Fubuki, having completed her task as messenger, waited to be picked up.

**I went to eat ramen with Naruto.**

** G.**

_So Naruto has gone and stolen my house guest. Gaara hates ramen. He only endures it because he likes to spend time with Naruto and half of Naruto's day is spent at Ichiraku. I'll make him some real food for when he gets back. _

She picked Fubuki up and placed the small grey cat on her shoulder. She got out the ingredients that she needed and got to work with Fubuki watching her every move.

-------------------------------------------------

_God damn meetings. I'm surprised Hiashi-sama hasn't died of boredom during one of these things._

Neji was dead tired as he maneuvered his way through the traditional Hyuuga halls. He watched as various family members wandered past each with their own destination with in the compound. It was rare to find someone with out the Byakugan but there was the occasional family member who had married into the stoic family. The poor people stood out like sore thumbs.

_Not many people can earn enough respect from Hiashi-sama to enter into the family by marriage. _

If a Hyuuga wanted to marry someone outside of the family their potential spouse would have to be approved by Hiashi and deemed worthy enough to become one of Hyuuga.

_And that hard ass hardly ever approves of anyone. Hell, he hardly approves of the people in his own family…_

"Neji, i would like to have a word with you," a deep voice said behind him.

_What does he want now?_

Neji turned to face the man and whipped all fatigue and exhaustion off of his face.

"Of course, Hiashi-sama." The elder Hyuuga nodded and gestured for Neji to continue to his destination.

Neji lead Hiashi to the branch family section of the compound and opened the door to his room. Hiashi entered and looked around.

There wasn't much to look at. The room was small and rather plain. Not many of the family members still slept on a futon but it would seem that his nephew did. There was a small portable writing station set up against the right wall opposite of the futon. The only piece of furniture that was not portable was the dresser on the far wall underneath the window. The only color the room had was a couple of plants. A green bonsai tree on the window sill and a bowl with a beautiful teal colored fish swimming around inside. The bowl also contained a few shoots of bamboo and some black river rocks. both plantshad been gifts from Sakura for his birthday. Other than that every thing was white other than the wooden furniture which was a dull brown.

_It looks like he would be ready to pack up and leave at a moments notice… _Hiashi thought as he surveyed the room.

What the clan leader did not know was that all of Neji's personal items were stashed under a loose floor board. One of those things was a picture of him and Sakura at last years festival.

Neji gestured to the small white cushion in front of the desk and Hiashi took the seat as Neji sat on the futon.

"Nephew, I would like to discuss something with you which has become a bit of a controversy in the elders." Hiashi's voice was void of all emotion which did not surprise Neji. The only time his uncle showed emotion was when he was angry.

_And no one wants to be around Hiashi-sama when he's angry…_

"We have been discussing your future quite a bit in these past few weeks when you have been absent from the meetings. We are all agreed on one thing. We believe it is time for you to begin courting. as you know it is uncommon for a Hyuuga to be unattatched past the age of twenty two. You are fast approaching that age." The two sets of Byakugan stared at each other, one trying to explain and the other in disbelief. After a moment Hiashi continued.

"While we all agree that soon it will be time for you to marry there is some conflict when it comes to who you shall marry. Many of the council members think that an arranged marriage would be to your benefit." Hiashi watched as panic seemed to flit across Neji's eyes.

_Marriage… An arranged marriage! But then I wouldn't be able to…_ Neji's thoughts were interrupted by his uncle's strong voice.

"As it would turn out, they have been searching for some candidates for you. I hope you don't mind but I put a stop to all of that nonsense." Neji's eyes got wide as he watched his uncle's expression change slightly. His face was less hard, less fierce.

"I don't believe that you need any help finding a woman worthy of you and this clan. In fact I know you don't. I have told the council that the only woman you would be courting is Haruno Sakura. As I approve of the match there is nothing they can do about it." Hiashi took in his nephew's shocked state.

_The girl saved my life once after a mission went foul. I don't see why he is so suprised that I am fond of her... _Hiashi thought as he watched his nephew.

"Neji, is something wrong? Should I not have told the council that?" Hiashi asked slightly concerned. He truly did like Sakura quite a bit and he was certain that there was no other woman for his nephew.

"Nothing is wrong Hiashi-sama. You were right to say that I would court no one but Sakura. I am simply surprised you actually said it," Neji said once he had pulled his jumbled thoughts together. Hiashi just gave him a small smile.

"You would be surprised at what I am willing to do to ensure that you are happy. I will leave you to get some rest. Good night, Neji," Hiashi said as he stood and exited the room.

"Good night Uncle and thank you." Neji knew the older man heard him.

A few minutes passed and Neji could do nothing but stare at the door his uncle had just closed. Then a smile passed over his features.

_He approves… perhaps not all conversations with Hiashi-sama are bad.  
_

-------------------------------------------------

When Gaara arrived at the house he found that he didn't quite know how to handle the situation at hand.

Sakura was sitting on the couch watching an old black and white romance movie. There was an empty gallon of double chocolate fudge ice cream in her lap and an unhealthy assortment of junk food surrounding her. Her hair was pulled up into a messy pony tail and her nose and eyes were red from crying. She was wearing a very large and baggy jounin shirt that seemed to be stolen from Kakashi and a very large pair of orange pants, presumably Naruto's.

_The aqua colored socks have to be the icing on the cake…_ he thought as he slowly approached her.

"Sakura?" he asked quietly so he didn't frighten her.

Her head turned to him and she sniffed a couple of times. Using the palms of her hands she whipped her eyes.

"Hi Gaara-kun. I made you dinner. It's on the table." He looked over and saw a large tray of sashimi, some onigiri, and a bowl of miso. With a flick of his wrist his sand was bringing his dinner to him.

After clearing away the marshmallows, the chocolate chip cookies, a bag of potato chips, and tub of chocolate frosting Gaara was able to sit on the couch with her.

It was at this moment that Fubuki decided to make her presence known. The little grey cat poked her head out from under Sakura's large shirt and began to eye up Gaara's sashimi. The red head watched as the cat slowly approached and looked up at him, begging for him to give her just a tiny bit of the fish on his plate.

_Damn those blue eyes!_

"Yours," he said as he separated a few pieces to one side of his plate.

"Mine," he said gesturing to the rest of the food. Fubuki seemed to understand because she didn't even look at the food on the other side of the invisible line.

Things were going well for a little while. The girl in the movie was falling in love for the second time. Gaara and Fubuki were both completely full. But when the girl in the movie kissed her new love Sakura burst out into a flood of tears.

In a panic, but never letting it show, Gaara just looked at her for a few minutes. When the tears showed no sign of letting up he reached out and touched her shoulder to get her attention.

Her lips trembled as she faced him and two rivers of salty water rushed down her cheeks.

"Why are you crying?" he asked in his flat monotone. A few sniffs later he got his answer.

"Because of a childhood dream lost. And the funny thing is that I don't even want it to come true anymore!" she wailed and the whole crying process just got louder.

"Should I call Kakashi?" When she nodded in return he practically dove for the phone.

A few minutes later the copy-nin rushed in and engulfed the woman in a hug.

"I've got it from here Gaara." He said as he picked up the crying girl and carried her back to her room.

Not too long after that Kakashi came back out and planted himself in Sakura's abandoned seat.

"She doesn't want him anymore but for some unexplainable reason she feels the need to cry now that Sasuke is no longer an option. She says she'll be okay in the morning after she has a decent cup of coffee." Kakashi said as he scratched the back of his head. "Women are so…weird."

"I agree," Gaara said as he pet Fubuki and continued to watch the old movie.

----------------------------------------------------

Neji couldn't sleep.

He had been dead tired when Hiashi left the room but for some reason he just couldn't drift off. This of course left his mind to wander but mostly his thoughts remained on a certain pink haired woman.

_I wonder if she's okay… maybe she's having a hard night. For all I know the Uchiha could have followed her home and… That's it! Desperate times call for desperate measures. _

Not making a sound Neji made his way out of the compound and into the city.

_I will only be able to go to the half way mark. I can't be too far from the compound incase Hanabi needs me for something._

Not many people were aware but Neji and Hanabi were rather close. Another thing not many people knew was that Hanabi suffered from nightmares. More often than not Hanabi would come and find him at night and she would stay with him until she fell asleep again. She claimed that his sent was soothing. Soon enough she would be back in her room and peacefully sleeping the remainder of the night away.

It was for this reason alone that he didn't sneak into Sakura's apartment in the middle of the night to make sure she was okay.

"Byakugan," he said as he activated his blood line limit.

It wasn't hard to find her apartment. He did find it interesting that both Gaara and Kakashi were now sleeping on the couch but it would seem that Gaara didn't trust Kakashi to stay on his side. A lovely sand wall had been set up in the middle of the couch warding off any carelessly tossed arms or legs.

Neji chuckled for a moment before moving on and looking into the bedroom.

_So beautiful…_

Sakura was curled up under her covers and her pink hair was hanging into her face.

For the most part she seemed fine but there was the trace of tears on her face.

_She must have talked to the Uchiha. I will speak with her tomorrow and no one will get in my way this time._

Neji made his way back to his room as quickly as possible. He was not surprised to find Hanabi waiting for him at the door.

Gesturing for her to go inside he watched as she settled down onto his futon. He sighed and sat on the cushion in front of his desk.

"Nii-san?" he heard Hanabi's voice quietly sound.

"Hn."

"I hope you and Sakura-san are happy. And I'm glad you chose her," Hanabi said before she allowed her eyes to close. Her breathing soon became deep and he knew she was sleeping.

Neji picked her up and headed towards the head family's section of the compound. A grin spread on his features.

_Hinata, Hiashi, and Hanabi…Three Hyuugas down and the rest of the family to go…_

* * *

End Comments: so what do you think? One more chapter before the big Neji/Sakura appearance. This is the one people!!! I decided to let Neji and Hanabi be close because I think it feels right. If you dont agree well... Anyway, 


	11. Short Lived Quarantine

Author's note: Not much to say here. Kiba is with Tenten (dont ask me how or why, she just needed to be paired off), Ino is with Chouji, Shika is with Temari, and Naruto is with Hinata.

Summary: Tsunade decides that Sakura has been single for far too long. With the help of a jutsu can Tsunade shove her apprentice in the right direction for love and hopefully a couple of adorable grandkids? NejiXSakura.

Disclaimer: I dot not own Naruto or the characters therein.

* * *

There was something bouncing rather annoyingly on her bed. At first she tried to paw at it to make what ever it was go away but it would seen that whatever it was did not intend to give up.

This thing is more annoying than my phone and my alarm clock.

"Sakura-chan!!!" Naruto yelled in a sing-song manner.

Sure enough when Sakura looked up away from her pillow there was Naruto bouncing on her bed. Sakura groaned and tired to ignore him but the bouncing was really annoying. She looked at Fubuki , who had at some point settled in the curve of her stomach, and laughed.

Like owner like pet…

Fubuki was pawing away at the aggravating Naruto and the motion she was making was a very familiar pawing motion. Unfortunately for Fubuki her paws were too short and she was just swiping at air.

"Sakura-chan get up! It's almost nine and I haven't had breakfast yet!" Naruto whined.

"If I make breakfast will you shut up?" came the grumbled reply from the pillow.

"Sure!"

Sakura let out a big sigh and cradled Fubuki in her arms, kicking Naruto off of her bed before getting off of it herself.

"Ouch! That hurt Sakura-chan!" she heard before she closed the bathroom door.

Half dead and still slightly upset about her conversation with Sasuke, Sakura did her morning ritual and then proceeded to make her way into the kitchen.

Three people were already seated at her four person table but suprisingly the second person was not Gaara and the third person was not Kakashi.

Instead Hinata was seated where Gaara should have been and Ino was seated where Kakashi should have been.

"Where's Gaara-kun?" she asked as she looked around.

"He went to go get coffee. We finished the last of it off before you woke up Forehead." Ino said as she endured the glare she got from her best friend.

Thankfully for Ino, a knock on the door interrupted anything Sakura was about to say. Whoever was at the door did not wait for it to be opened. Gaara closed the door behind him and handed Sakura the coffee before sitting down in the chair next to Naruto.

Once the coffee was made and Sakura had gotten her caffeine fix for the day, she got set on making eggs and a fruit salad.

_I feel so much better now. Thank heavens for the discovery of coffee!_

For the most part the kitchen was relatively silent while Sakura cooked. Neither of the other two girls in the room were very comfortable having girl talk with the boys around, at least not until Sakura became and active participant in the conversation. The occasional comment would come from Naruto but other than that things were quiet.

"Thanks Sakura-chan! This looks great!" Naruto exclaimed as Sakura placed the food on the table.

Sakura smiled at him and dished out a bit of fruit salad for herself.

"So, Forehead, I came to tell you all about my date the other day. I tried to stop by yesterday night but no one was home." Sakura looked up from her breakfast and was truly interested in what her friend had to say.

"So… Ino-chan, how d-did the d-date go?" Hinata asked as she ignored her boyfriend who was sucking in his food like air.

Ino's eyes got glassy and the boys knew they were in for a bit of girl talk.

"It was great. Chouji made barbeque and we went out to the park and talked until the sun went down. Then we star gazed for a while and around twelve he brought me home. We have another date tomorrow." Ino said with a sigh.

Hinata and Sakura both looked absolutely thrilled for their friend and Sakura was even doing some sort of happy dance next to Ino's chair.

"That is so exciting Ino! You have to tell me all about the next date," she said and hugged her childhood friend.

"I will. So are you coming tonight?" Sakura just looked at Ino in confusion.

"Coming to what?"

"The meeting at the bar tonight! Please tell me Kakashi-sensei told you?" Naruto yelled with a mouth full of food.

"Naruto-kun s-swallow before you t-talk. You m-must come tonight S-Sakura-chan. Rookie nine, team G-Gai, and the Suna s-siblings will all be there." Sakura listened to Hinata and then turned to Gaara.

"Kakashi and I discussed it last night. We will all attend," Gaara said in his gravely voice. Sakura crossed her arms and went to get more coffee.

_I fully intended to lock my self away forever. I suppose it can't be helped...Where the hell is Kaka-sensei anyway?_

"Gaara-kun, how about we put the finishing touches on your apartment today?" she asked as she made her way into her bed room to get the cloth samples for his curtains.

It was then that she felt the annoying tug on her body. She dropped her coffee mug and the cloth swatches and grabbed onto the door frame as if her life depended on it.

There was a knock on the door and Sakura could feel the strain on her arms as her body tried to move towards the front door.

"Who is it?" she asked in a half panick.

"Good morning Sakura-san! Your youthful friends have come to visit you on this beautiful morning." Obviously Lee was on the other side.

"Who else is with you?" Gaara asked as put some more fruit on his plate.

"It is I, Lee, Hiko-san, Chouji-san, Kiba-san, Shino-san, Neji, Konkuro-san, and Kakashi-san."

"Just Kaka-sensei. Tell the others I'll see them tonight." she said in a strained voice.

"She only wants to see Kakashi-sensei," Naruto yelled through the door. Hinata gasped and moved to the window.

"W-What he means is t-that Sakura-chan is busy right now and will s-see you all t-tonight," Hinata explained to the men on the other side.

"Alright Hinata-san. May the springtime of youth brighten your day. Until tonight my beautiful cherry blossom!" Lee cried as he moved away from the door with the other men trailing behind him.

Not too long after that the sensation of being pulled left Sakura. It was at this time that Kakashi opened the door and entered.

"Kaka-snesei, I need to ask you a favor." If Kakashi was suprised or curious it did not show so Sakura simply continued. "I need you to summon Pakkun. It's important."

With out hesitation Kakashi put his book way and did the nessecary hand signs. Soon enough the little dog was sitting on the living room floor.

"Yo everyone," he said in a voice that seemed much too deep for a dog.

"Hi Pakkun. I need a favor." The little dog turned his attention to Sakura and ignored Fubuki who seemed to be trying to find the best angle to attack him.

"What is it?" Sakura reached into her kunai pouch and brought out some money.

" I need you to go pick me up some shampoo. I'm all out." Pakkun gasped.

"Thats horrible Sakura-chan! You can count on me. I'll be back soon." As Pakkun dashed off Sakura turned to look at kakashi. the older man just sighed and shook his head.

_Important my ass. Both her and Pakkun need to sort out their prioreties._

"I just finished putting the furniture in Gaara's apartment," he said as he flopped onto the couch.

"Oh, good! Now we can look at accessories and accent pieces." she ran back into her room and came back out with an arm full of magazines.

"So, I was thinking that we could look at these and find something. You know, a color scheme or side pieces that we like." She said with excitement gleaming in her green eyes as she handed a few magazines to Kakashi..

"That sounds good. Can you pass me the kitchen magazine? We still have to find a table…" a loud groan was heard and a then shortly after a high pitched squeak.

"If this is all you guys are gonna do for the next couple of hours, Hinata-chan and I are going to go to a movie or something." Naruto said as he took his girlfriends hand and gently began to guide her out the door.

"By Sakura-chan, Ino-chan, Gaara-" Hinata was cut off as the door slammed behind her.

Ino blew her bangs out of her face and moved towards the bed room.

"I'm going to raid your closet and see if there is anything decent in there for tonight. Okay Forehead?"

"Yeah, fine. Just clean up when your done. Gaara-kun do you prefer red, green, or dark blue?" Ino rolled her eyes and began searching Sakura's closet.

She has to look great tonight. It has to be something sexy… I think it's time to pull ou the new little black dress. That ought to work nicely.

With an evil grin she went about trying to locate the dress and a pair of shoes to match.

In the other room Kakashi and Sakura were having a little bit of an argument about which color would look best with the tan walls and black furniture of Gaara's new apartment.

"Red."

"Blue."

"Red!"

"Blue."

"Red!!! Gaara-kun don't you like red?" Sakura asked as she looked at the sand-nin with wide eyes.

"Dark red," Gaara said as he built a sand wall around the fruit bowl to keep a certain kitten out of it so he could eat in peace. Fubuki was not giving up. That fruit looked too good to give up.

"Yes! Dark red it is. In your face Kaka-sensei!" Kakashi sighed and then chuckled at Sakura very smug expression.

"I'm back Sakura-chan!" Sakura squealed in delight as Pakkun entered her apartment with a bag of shampoo in his mouth. Kakashi just roled his lone eye as his summon and his daughter discussed the benefits of volumizing shampoo.

---------------------------------------------------

By the time Ino had Sakura's outfit completely planned it was getting late into the afternoon.

She had been interrupted a few times, which is why it had taken her so long. First her mother called and needed her to run an errand which took about an hour and then she had needed to get changed for the night, which had taken a good four hours.

It was going to take at least three hours to get Sakura ready for her big night. Ino walked up to Sakura's door and almost squealed in excitement.

She opened the door and had to stop her jaw from dropping.

There in Sakura's living room was a mountain of magazines with three people viciously searching through different ones.

Oh hell no!

"You guys are still at it?! That's it, Forehead. It's time to get you ready." Sakura stared at Ino in surprise.

"Get me ready for what?" she asked obliviously.

"For our night at the bar. Boys, avoid the bathroom and the bedroom unless you want to get turned into a girl. We'll be using them for a few hours." Ino said as she dragged Sakura into the bathroom.

Kakashi shrugged and turned the magazine he was holding to Gaara.

"So what do you think of this chair? I was thinking it would do well near the sofa." The sand-nin looked at it and nodded his approval.

-----------------------------------------------

"Ino, it's almost seven. Are you two going to be done anytime soon?" Kakashi asked through the bedroom door.

"What do you care, Kakashi-san? Your always late!" Ino yelled back.

"I'm coming. Give me just a second." There was some muffled shuffling and then Sakura stepped out from behind the door.

"I'm going to have to beat the boys away with a stick tonight aren't I?" Kakashi asked with a sigh as he took in the little black dress.

"Let's go." Gaara said and with that they all made their way to the bar.

The place was small but even as early as seven o'clock is was packed to the gills. Just before they entered the crowded establishment Sakura grabbed Kakashi's arm.

"Kaka-sensei, you'll stop me if I start to go flying away, right?"

"Sure," he said with his nose buried in his book.

The doors opened and Sakura was assaulted by the smell of alcohal and the buzz of multiple conversations occurring at once.

Kakashi almost immediately found his way to the a table with the jounin sensei's all seated around it. Ino flitted off somewhere and Gaara was already making his way to the bar. Having no where else to go Sakura followed Gaara.

She seated herself on a bar stool to the left of Gaara's and was about to order a drink when that familiar pull tugged at her body.

Oh no! Someone is going to get hurt this time. I won't be able to avoid hitting people. Why didn't I just stay locked up in my house like I planned?

Thinking quickly she latched onto the bar and yelled out for Kakashi.

"Kaka-sensei! It's happening again! I need help!" She yelled grabbing the entire bar's attention.

Kakashi looked up from his friends and saw Sakura clinging to the bar for dear life.

Maybe I should tell her that the bar has been a little unstable ever since Lee trashed the place on accident a few years ago…

But he was too late.

Sakura looked on in horror as the piece of wood she had latched onto began to tear itself away from the rest of the bar in slow motion. Equally slow was the sensation of flying through the air and past bodies that dived out of her way. She felt her body slam into something that was comfortably hard.

She looked up onto pearly eyes.

"Hello Sakura," Neji said as he looked down at the shocked female that was now seated in his lap.

It's Neji-kun…It's Neji-kun!

She looked up at him in a daze and gasped as she watched him glow a familiar shade of red, not knowing that she too was emanating the same glow. Gradually the glowing stopped and Neji chuckled as he took the piece of wood out of her hand.

_The most beautiful woman literally just flew into my arms. I have no complaints about my destiny._

"It would seem that Tsunade-sama's jutsu has chosen," Neji said as he tucked a strand of pink hair behind Sakura's ear.

Sakura smiled at him and then looked around. Most of the people around them were smiling sweetly but Kiba seemed to be grumbling about something as he began to take out his wallet. Sasuke was brooding at the other end of the table near Naruto. Lee on the other hand was letting rivers of salty tears run down his face.

"My eternal rival has beaten me once again… but I will not give up hope. The springtime of youth will prevail!" he said with determination before running off to consult Gai.

"Sakura, would you like to go to dinner with me?" Neji asked looking down at the pink haired woman and also gaining the attention of everyone at the table.

Hinata had been right. Everyone was here and they were all smiling, especially Shikamaru. Not only was he with Temari tonight, which was enough to make him happy on any day, but he had also just won a nice hunk of pocket change.

Sakura blinked a couple of times before nodding in response. Neji smirked and placed her feet on the ground before standing them both up.

"We will see the rest of you tomorrow," he said as he took Sakura's hand in his own and guided her out of the small bar.

"Damn!" Kiba exclaimed as soon as they were out the door. His attention was brought back to the table when Tenten, his girlfriend, kissed his cheek and cooed as his face flushed automatically.

"Two out of three! Not bad... Not bad at all." Naruto commented on his own winnings.

"Well boys, time to pay up," Kakashi said as he walked up the table with is hand held out.

"You're a sly one Kakashi-san. How did you know?" Chouji asked with his arms around Ino's waist.

Kakashi counted the money that was now in his hand and watched Naruto and Shikamaru grin over their winnings. He just gave them his crescent moon smile.

"Well, you see, I have been helping Neji advance his ninjutsu. The other day he started glowing red. It was pretty easy to figure out after that." He then turned to the bar tender."you can bill the hokage for the damages to the bar." And before anyone could complain he transported away.

* * *

End comments: So they are finally together and the jutsu has chosen!!! We have a few more chapters that contain mostly fluff so stay with me. The next chapter is all about thier dinner together. The best is yet to come. Review if you want to. I would love it if you did.


	12. I Trust You

Author's Note: I have nothing to say other than Hinata has a bedtime enforced by her daddy. And I don't care if you think that Sai and Sasuke wouldn't get drunk. In this fic they do and apparently they like to throw food at each other afterwards.

Summary: Tsunade decides that Sakura has been single for far too long. With the help of a jutsu can Tsunade shove her apprentice in the right direction for love and hopefully a couple of adorable grandkids? NejiXSakura.

Disclaimer: I dot not own Naruto or the characters therein.

* * *

As they walked down the street Sakura noticed two things. The first being that Neji was still quite a few inches taller than her even with her black stiletto heals on. The second being that the silence that seemed to engulf them was anything but uncomfortable. She was enjoying just walking down the street with him. 

It was dark out but Sakura could still see his eyes in the night. They seemed to glow out in the darkness.

Rather like two moons…

Their hands were entwined and Sakura found that slightly odd. Neji never really was one for outward displays of affection. He pretty much liked to keep to himself.

But if he feels the need to hold my hand tonight I am sure as hell not going to complain.

Almost as if he could read her thoughts he gave her hand a squeeze and gave her one of those rare grins. She didn't know that she was the only one to ever see those grins.

"I thought we could get something to eat," he said as approached a restaurant that was not Ichiraku.

Why is he bringing me to the most expensive restaurant in town?

If Sakura looked shocked Neji didn't comment. He simply lead her in and had the waiter give them a small booth in the back.

Once they were seated Neji ordered tea for the two of them and a very large platter of tempura.

"You know me too well Neji-kun," Sakura said with a smile.

"I don't think so. There are a lot of things I have yet to learn about you," Neji said as he leaned back into the cloth seats.

"Really? Like what?" As far as Sakura was aware Neji already knew just about everything about her.

"I don't know where or when you got that dress for example. I've seen most of your collection already but I've never seen that one."

Contrary to popular belief Neji actually did go to social occasions with his friends and as a result he had witnessed the majority of Sakura's little black dress collection.

"Oh, well Ino stopped by the other day to steal a blue dress and gave me this to replace it. She kind of forced me into it today. Does it look alright?"

She still wasn't sure how the little black number looked on her. It was a strapless sweetheart top that was edged with lace. The dress was tight from the top to the bottom which landed around her mid thigh. A lace sash was tied around her waist and more balck lace trimmed the hem of the dress. She had at first thought that there was too much lace but Ino thought other wise.

Apparently Neji did too. The look she got in response to her question was enough to answer.

I look sexy! Thank you Ino, I owe you one!!!

Then Neji's look changed catching Sakura's attention. He was suddenly almost apologetic. Well, his face was imassive as usual but the look in his eyes was not.

"Sakura, I hope you realize that I haven't been trying to avoid you these past few days," he said cautiously trying to gauge her response.

"The thought never crossed my mind Neji-kun. I know you wouldn't purposefully avoid me. But now that you mention it, what have you been doing this past week?" she asked with a smile.

She wasn't mad at me or upset because… She knows that I care about her.

The thought pleased him but he didn't smile because the waiter came back with their food and drinks.

When Sakura was happily munching on a piece of fried vegetable Neji decided to answer her.

"Lately Hiashi-sama has been having me participate in the clan meetings. That has kept me busy. And I have had a few small missions, nothing that took more than an afternoon, but there have been a lot of them." Sakura nodded in understanding and then stopped munching for a moment.

"Hanabi-chan told me that you had guard duty the other day. How did that go?" she asked sipping at her tea.

"Boring." He was direct as always. At his answer a twinkle appeared in Sakura's eye.

"I'm going to assume it was you every time I went crashing into something this past week. You must have been in a rush all week," she said picking up another fried veggie.

Neji nodded and then took a sip of his tea.

"Yeah. Most of it was because I was looking for you in between my duties."

Sakura couldn't help but blush as he leaned in towards the table the look at her. His eyes hadn't left her face since they sat down. Usually a man staring at her like this would bother her, but Sakura found that she like the way he stared at her. She was proud that she could make a man like Hyuuga Neji turn his undivided attention to her.

It's because we were meant to be! Neji and Sakura… Sakura and Neji… Oh, I can't decide which one I like better. They both sound wonderful to me!!!

The remainder of dinner was spent discussing random things and eating delicious fried foods. Sakura found out that Neji had a mission early the next day but would be back by night fall and Neji found out that Sakura still hadn't found Gaara a TV for his new apartment so the Kazekage was still at her house for the moment.

Neji paid the bill and then guided her out onto the street.

What Sakura failed to notice was that a shadow seemed to be following them out of the restaurant. But Neji noticed and decided that the four nosy women were of no threat.

"Do you think they've seen us?" Temari asked quietly.

"Neji has," Tenten said with a bit of humor in her voice.

"Well, I h-have to go before f-father starts l-looking for me," Hinata said as she moved away.

"Alright. We'll tell you how it goes! Now, let's get back to snooping," and at Ino's command the three girls resumed trailing the happy couple only to find them already gone.

"Damn it!" was their collective shout.

Neji could feel their shoulders brushing up against one another and he couldn't help but glance at her out of the corner of his eye.

She was looking at the sky in awe. The stars were bright that night and the temperature was perfect for a walk or maybe even a bit of star gazing.

Neji took hold of her hand and couldn't help but smirk when she inhaled sharply in surprise. She relaxed and lightly leaned against side. Her guided her to the city wall.

Together they jumped up to stand on the large stone surface. A slightly startled Izumo jumped and then smiled at them moving a little further down the wall to give them a bit of privacy.

Sakura gazed at the night sky and then turned an amused grin towards Neji.

"I thought you didn't like guard duty," she said with a teasing tone.

Neji looked up at the sky and chuckled.

"I don't but when I was out here the other night I looked up at the sky and thought of you. So it seemed appropriate to bring you here tonight."

Well damn! I'll never have another boring guard duty again. All I'll be able to think about the whole time will be this moment. Who knew Neji-kun was such a romantic?

"It is a great place to star gaze…" She leaned her head back to look at the sky again.

Neji sat down and gently pulled her down to sit with her back leaned up against his chest.

Oh my GOD!!! Okay Sakura, breathe… just breathe.

Slowly she clamed down enough to relax in his hold.

Neji looked down at her and took a deep breath.

It has to be done. I just wish that we could sit like this for a while longer. But the sooner I tell her the sooner we can get closer to one another. And if I don't tell her she'll never trust me again.

"Sakura?"

"Yes Neji-kun…"

But before I tell her I have to some thing about that annoying suffix.

"Sakura, why do you insist on calling me Neji-kun? I want you to be comfortable enough to address me with out it."

Sakura turned her gaze from the stars to look at the two small moons fixated on her.

But if I stop calling him Neji-kun… No, it won't be the same as when I stopped calling Sasuke "Sasuke-kun". This time it will be because I am getting much closer to someone instead of pushing them away.

Sakura gave a small smile and tested the name on it's own.

"Neji… Neji." He loved the way his name rolled off of her tongue.

"I like that much better." As he looked down at her he couldn't hold it back anymore. He had to make sure this was what she really wanted.

"Sakura, I want to let you know that just because the jutsu has told you I'm your perfect match doesn't mean that you have to just accept that." He watched her happy expression fall. Her eyes were wide and he could feel the way her body was tightening up.

"You don't want this…" She said moving to stand up. Quick to take action, Neji pulled her tight against him.

"That is not the case at all. I just want to make sure that this is what you really want. Do you want to be with me?" He said searching her face. He was surprised to find Sakura beginning to laugh.

"You idiot! Do you really think I would be sitting here with you right now if I didn't want this? Trust me if I had any objections I would have made it known at the bar," she said turning to look at him as she took his face in her hands.

Her lips were moving closer to his. Her lips were red and inviting. But Neji found that as much as he was looking foreward to this, there was just something not right.

I want to be the one to make the first move, damn it!

"Sakura?" She stopped moving towards him to look at him.

I was about to kiss you… Why the hell did you stop me?!

"You have to understand something about my clan before you commit to this," he said gesturing between the two of them.

She raised a pale pink eyebrow at him.

"And that is?" Neji took a deep breath.

"The Hyuugas do not support the idea of casual dating. Instead they follow the old ways. As a Hyuuga I will have to get married soon. And so the council has decided that it is time for me to start courting someone." The tone of his voice told her that she didnt have to worry. He was happy so what ever it was couldnt be bad.

_He wouldn't be here if he was "courting" another woman. Wait... What the hell is courting anyway?_

"… And how is dating different then courting?" she asked curiously.

"Well, they are actually very much the same but with one obvious difference. When you court someone you start out intending to marry them from the very beginning." he said as he pushed a piece of long pink hair behind her ear.

_...Umm... Is he saying what I think he's saying?_

"Neji… are you…" Her question trailed off as she looked at him with wide hopeful eyes.

"I would like to ask permission to court you." He had barely finished his sentence when he was knocked flat on his back by an ecstatic pink haired woman.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!"

He pulled her face to his and let their lips brush against each other again and again until Neji claimed her lips as his. Lips meshed and tangled in a fight for dominance. Tongues clashed in an attempt to taste each other and discover this new facet of the other that had not been avalible before. Large calloused hands held her smooth cheeks angling her head to kiss her just right, making her body melt and mold against his. Long delicate fingers played in silky strands of liquid chocolate. They could feel the desperation, hunger, affection, and love in each other.

It was passionate.

It was perfect.

And it was quite some time before either one of them pulled away.

_She's a goddess..._ Neji thoguht as he watched a dazed, moon lit Sakura smile at him.

_...I think he just kissed me sensless..._

Sakura sighed and rested her head on his chest as he sat back up. She hardly noticed how tired she was. She stared at the stars and slowly fell asleep.

Neji was too busy taking in the moment to notice the time but he did notice that Sakura had fallen asleep on him.

He chuckled and picked her up in his arms and began the walk back to her apartment.

He guessed it was about eleven o'clock because there was hardly anyone out on the streets.

He approached Sakura's apartment only to find the windows full of light. He knocked on the door and was greeted by a very unhappy Kazekage.

"You might want to take Sakura somewhere else," the red head said in his gravely voice.

It was obvious to anyone that Gaara had almost reached the end of his rope. There was a scowl on his features and there seemed to be some sort of pudding smeared into his hair. There also seemed to be bits of tofu smashed into his marron training outfit. The little grey cat in his arms seemed to be seeking refuge and Neji wondered what would make Fubuki run to Gaara for protection.

"What is going on in there?" he asked with his brows furrowed.

"After you left, Kakashi left and Sai showed up. There was a drinking game. The remainder of team seven got drunk and came back here. Naruto was hugging the toilet a few minutes ago and has now stolen Sakura's bed for the night. Sai and Sasuke just passed out on her couch." Neji looked at Gaara and then looked back at the kitten.

"Why is Fubuki so frightened?" Gaara shrugged his shoulders and pet the kitten's head absently.

"I think Naruto almost landed on her when he crashed onto Sakura's bed and then she almost got hit with some flying yoghurt." Neji nodded.

"I'll bring Sakura to the Hyuuga compound. Will you deal with this tomorrow?" he asked gesturing to the messy apartment. There was food every where and all over the two dark haired ninja on the couch.

Its that jello on the walls? I don't even want to know…

"I will. Evening Hyuuga." Neji bowed back to the man and headed for the Hyuuga compound.

He got a couple of interesting looks from his cousins that were on duty. It wasn't often that someone brought a sleeping women back to the comound in the dead of night. He ignored them and went in search of Hiashi. If Sakura was going to spend the night in the compound Hiashi had to know about it.

Neji wasn't worried about waking the older man. Hiashi trained until late in the night most of the time.

Sure enough Neji found the clan leader in the back garden meditating. As he approached Hiashi opened his eyes and took in the situation.

"I'll assume that you two are now courting. She can stay in your room. I trust you and the maid is now sleeping and will not be able to prepare a guest bedroom." The older male went back to meditating with the ghost of a smile on his face.

"Thank you Hiashi-sama," Neji said as he bowed.

He made his way to his room and when he got there he was not surprised to find Hanabi sleeping on his futon. With a sigh he scooted Hanabi over as far as possible before placing Sakura on the futon. He picked up Hanabi just in time to hear a giggle from his doorway.

Hinata stretched out her arms. Hanabi was still relatively small for her age and so it wouldn't be a problem for Hinata to carry her the short distance to the Head family's section of the compound.

Neji handed the young girl over to her elder sister and give Hinata a grateful glance. His cousin smiled at him and began walking down the hall.

"Neji?" He turned and found sleepy green eyes blinking up at him. He closed the door quietly. Walking over to the futon, he grabbed the small white cushion that was on the floor and placed it next to the bed before sitting on it.

"You fell asleep on the city wall. Your drunk team mates invaded your house so I brought you here. You're in my room." He brushed her hair away from her face and reveled in it's soft, silky texture.

"Thanks…" her voice was trimmed in fatigue and she stifled a yawn.

"You sleep. I'll be here," he said as he prepared to meditate. His focus was interrupted by a hand tugging on his wrist. He looked down to find Sakura on the other side of the futon.

"I trust you. You don't have to be uncomfortable all night." This time she couldn't stifle the yawn.

Neji smiled at her and laid down next to her on top of the covers. His arm moved around her waist and pulled her as close as the thick blanket separating them would allow.

_Well, at least I got him to lay down..._Sakura thought as she drifted off again. 

Sakura's deep breathing lulled Neji to sleep with her words whispering in his ears.

**_"I trust you."_**

* * *

End Comments: I hope you all enjoyed the fluff in this chapter. The next chapter is all about Sakura and the Hyuuga family. Hehe... Poor Sakura is due for a meeting with Hyuuga Hiashi. I hope you liked it! I really wouldnt mind if you reviewed... Am i hinting enough? Oh! I've decided that at the end of this fic I am going to have a vote on which of my next three ideas should be turned into a fic. I'll give you more details in a few days but I just wanted you to know. As soon as this fic is done (a couple more chapters) I will be crancking out another one and will hopefully be done with the next one by the end of august. 


	13. Have You No Decency?

Author's note: Sorry it took so long to update. My family is in town and I am entertaining the younglings. The Hyuuga's might seem a little OOC but I did this on purpose. They can't be that stoic all the time. If Hiashi is too off let me know. Ad so with nothing else to say Ileave you to the story. Enjoy!

Summary: Tsunade decides that Sakura has been single for far too long. With the help of a jutsu can Tsunade shove her apprentice in the right direction for love and hopefully a couple of adorable grandkids? NejiXSakura.

Disclaimer: I dot not own Naruto or the characters therein.

* * *

This morning when she woke up there was no annoying beeping, ringing, or jumping. No, instead it was sunlight coming through a window with no curtains that woke her up. 

With a groan Sakura sat up and realized suddenly that this was not her room.

Where the hell am I?

But then she saw the small tree on the window sill and smelled the fragrance that could only belong to one man she laid back down again and snuggled into the bedding.

Neji…

His name brought a sleepy grin to her face. But when she felt around for him her hand came in contact with nothing.

I wonder where he went?

She turned to the side to look around and almost came to the same conclusion as Hiashi when the older man had stepped into the room. The room was bare. She looked again and this time when her eyes scanned over the desk she saw a very familiar photo. It was a photo that she saw ever day when she sat at her table.

The festival is coming up again… maybe this time he'll take me as his date. And Chouji can take Ino. This will be so fun!

Her morning grogginess was slowly fading away and she couldn't seem to stop smiling. She looked around again and this time when she looked at the desk she saw something other than the photo.

A piece of paper was folded into a tent shape. It was standing up and had her name written on it. It was written in the same elegant hand she had seen when she found Fubuki.

Crawling over to the portable desk she realized that she was still in her little black dress.

What on earth am I going to wear? I can't leave the compound in this! People will think that we slept together… well technically we did and I sure wouldn't complain if we did have sex, but that's not the point!

Shaking herself of those thoughts she took the note in her hand and opened it.

Good morning Sakura,

I'm sorry I was not there when you woke this morning but I had to leave at five for my mission today. Hiashi-sama wished to speak with you, but about what I'm not quite sure. Don't worry, I have everything you will need for the morning set up in my bathroom. I will be back later tonight. Expect to see me at ten. Miss you already.

Sakura didn't suppress the squeal that came from her mouth.

Jumping up she went into the bathroom and found an unused tooth brush, some tooth paste, a brush, face wash, and most importantly a stack of very comfortable looking clothes.

She went through her hygienic rituals quickly. She unfolded the clothes and tried to suppress a giggle.

Now it really will look like we slept together…

He had left her a pair of plain black pajama pants that obviously belonged to Neji and one of his black ANBU shirts. She slipped them over her head and as soon as the fabric was settled she determined that these garments would soon be residing in her closet.

And I plan to wear them all the time. They smell so damn good!

Sakura jumped when she heard a knock on the bedroom door.

Do I open it? It's probably one of Neji's relatives.

She was slightly hesitant but she opened the door anyway. The person on the other side surprised her.

Hyuuga Hiashi was looking at her with his arms folded and a jacket was draped on his shoulders. His typical impassive stare was filled with something else, something slightly softer.

"Good morning Sakura-san. I hope your sleep was pleasant." His tone held no emotion what so ever.

Being completely impassive must be a male Hyuuga thing…

"It was Hiashi-sama. I certainly hope it wasn't any problem letting me stay," she said with her head bowed in greeting.

"Of course not. Follow me Sakura-san. I wish to speak with you." He turned and she assumed she was expected to follow.

Well, here comes an awkward conversation.

Sakura followed behind Hiashi quietly, trying to ignore the curious white stares that followed her as she walked by each new and unfamiliar Hyuuga.

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They had been traveling since five in the morning. He was not tired, or sweaty, or hungry, or any of those other things that people usually complained about when they were on missions.

No, he was irritated.

I don't want to be here. Sakura should be awake by now. I could have been at home this morning, laying in bed until Sakura woke up. We could have gotten breakfast together and talked to Hiashi-sama together. I just know he's going to bombard her with some sort of nonsense she doesn't need to be worried about yet. And the rest of the family will be just as bad.

Neji was brought out of his thoughts by Naruto.

"Neji, I want to have a talk." The usually hyper and loud ninja was thoughtful and quiet.

I don't think I've ever seen him quite like this before. If this is a post drunk Naruto, I should get him drunk more often.

Neji looked over to see the others, Kiba, Akamaru, and Genma, filling up canteens in a stream not too far off.

"I know you probably got this speech twice already, once from Gaara and once Kakashi-sensei, but I feel the need to make sure they said everything that needs to be said. What did they tell you?" Naruto asked with his gazed fixed on Neji's face.

"Do you remember the speech I gave you when you started dating my cousin?" Neji asked and was pleased to see Naruto grimace at the memory.

"Yeah, I remember. Why?" Neji smirked.

"It was pretty much the same." Naruto nodded and then grinned.

"So basically Kakashi-sensei said that he'd chidori your guts out and Gaara threatened to use his sand burial on whatever is left of you when Kakashi-sensei is done if you ever hurt her." Neji just watched impassivly as their companions were finishing up by the river.

"Let me add this. Before Kakashi-sensei or Gaara get to you, you'll have to deal with me. I'm only going to tell you this once. Should you ever hurt Sakura-chan the way Sasuke-teme did, I will have the pleasure of removing all your limbs. Then Kakashi-sensei can blast a hole through your chest and then Gaara can squish whatever he can find. And then when I die I will haunt you in the after life. Imagine having to deal with me for an eternity." At that comment Neji's eyes got wide.

Anything but that! I can't even listen to Naruto for more than a couple of hours at the most. I couldn't take it for an eternity.

But then after a few seconds he calmed down.

But that doesn't matter. I'd never hurt Sakura anyway. Make all the threats you want Uzumaki. You can't scare me away.

"Shove it up your ass, Naruto." Neji said with a smirk. He got a smirk in return.

Genma made his way over to the two of them with Kiba and Akamaru trailing behind.

"Alright boys lets go find that scroll," the senbon wielder said has he jumped into the trees. With a sigh Neji followed after the older man.

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The room she was in was very traditional and it smelled of polished wood. It was obviously used for meditating. The room was completely bare with the exception of a pile of pillow cushions in the corner.

Hiashi retrieved two pillows and set them on the ground facing each other about five feet apart. He sat and signaled for her to sit as well.

"Sakura-san, you must be wondering why I wished to speak with you." He settled into an Indian style position and folded his palms face up in his lap.

"Yes I am a bit curious Hyuuga-sama." Sakura said copying his position.

"No need to be so formal. Hiashi-sama or Hiashi-san, whichever you prefer," he said with a small smile that never quite reached his mouth.

"Hiashi-sama it is then," she said with a grin. She knew that she should have felt intimidated by this man but after being with Tsunade for so many years intimidating people had little to no effect on her.

"As you know Sakura-san you are now courting my nephew. It may be surprising to some people in this house hold that I would allow such a union." Sakura cocked her head to the side.

"Why is that Hiashi-sama?" she asked, truly curious.

"It has been a long time since I have allowed a member of the branch family household to marry someone outside of the compound. It is not something I usually allow and I don't plan on making a habit of it," he paused as an older woman brought tea for them and set it down. Hiashi passed Sakura her cup and then continued. "But I find that I am willing to make an exception for you. Neji is my favorite nephew and you, my dear, are extremely talented. You are more than worthy of joining the Hyuuga clan." He took a sip of his tea.

I just got complimented by a man who never compliments anyone. I need to tell Neji about this when he gets back. Hard-ass-Hyuuga likes me and that's gotta count for something!

"Does the Hyuuga council agree with you Hiashi-sama?" she too took a sip of her tea and found it to be refreshing.

"They hardly ever do, but that is of little consequence. I can override them if I so choose and this is one of those times. There is no one else for my nephew other than you. He refuses to court anyone but you and I respect that. Now we simply need to prepare you for life in the Hyuuga compound. The introductions will start now." With a clap of his hands the doors opened and Sakura could see a long line of black haired, white eyed Hyuugas lined up to meet her.

Shit! I'll never remember all of these names. Why does Neji have to have such a big ass family?

It was hours before all of the introductions were over. Sakura had a small conversation with each member of the family. She found it odd, but the children seemed to like her a lot.

Hiashi supervised through out the meeting session and was quite happy with the response Sakura was getting from the family. They wanted to know everything about her and he found it amusing that Sakura had healed at least half of the clan at one point or another.

He sighed and signaled for lunch to be brought in along with a few other things.

" Now Sakura-san, our day is far from done. Next on our agenda is to begin wedding preparations." With another clap a huge array of wedding choices were splayed out at her feet and lunch was set beside her.

…What… the … hell???

"Wedding preparations?" she asked with wide eyes. Hiashi nodded as he inspected invitations.

"Yes, my dear. In the Hyuuga clan as soon as you start courting we begin the wedding preparations. What do you think of this paper?" Hiashi held a beautiful rice paper invitation.

"It's beautiful. But do you think it comes in different colors?" she asked as she began shifting through the large pile of stuff suddenly forgeting why she was so apprehensive in the first place.

"I'm sure they do. What color were you thinking?" Hiashi asked with his eyes shining down on her.

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Neji was dead tired.

A whole day with Kiba was bad enough but Tsunade just had to throw a hung over Naruto into the mix.

I will never let Naruto get drunk again. He whines way too much.

After their little chat, Naruto had gone back to being himself and had whined the whole way to the scroll and back.

At least we got the stupid thing.

Neji made his way over the buildings of Konoha to Sakura's house.

As usual the lights were on but tonight things seemed relatively quiet in comparision to the night before.

He knocked on the door and was surprised to find Gaara still there.

_Well, this is interesting..._

Neji thought as he took in the sight of the Kazekage and another current visitor to Sakura's apartment. 

Lee was wailing on the couch probably still slightly distraught about Sakura being stolen away from him. Gaara was protecting Fubuki supposedly from Lee, but Neji wasn't quite sure why.

"She's not here. She never came home. Take the cat, I don't want it to get hurt should Lee get his hands on any sake," Gaara said as he gently placed the kitten in Neji's hands. Neji found it comical but the red head almost looked uncomfortable being in Sakura's house with out the small animal.

Well, now I know what to get Gaara for his birthday….

Neji nodded to the Kazekage who rolled his eyes at the love sick ninja on Sakura's couch and closed the door.

If she's not at her house then where could she be?

Neji thought about it for a few moments before realization hit him.

Please tell me they didn't...

He bounded off towards his home with Fubuki securely in his arms.

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"I don't know if I like this one. Is there anything lighter in weight? I want it to flow, not cling."

"Let me send someone to find it. There is bound to be a store that sells that kind of silk in that color."

"Meow!" The excited noise got every ones attention.

There in the door way of the meditation hall stood Hyuuga Neji and a very excited kitten.

"Family, have you no decency? I haven't even proposed yet." Neji said as he entered the crowded room.

There were white eyed people everywhere. A large percentage of the Hyuuga clan was in the room helping Hiashi and Sakura plan her wedding. At his statement the majority of them looked down bashfully and a select few, namely Hinata and Hanabi, blushed.

At least they have the sense enough to be slightly embarrassed because of their haste and excitement.

"Good evening nephew. Your mission was successful, I presume." Hiashi said neither bashful nor embarrassed. In fact, he seemed very pleased with himself.

"It was successful Hiashi-sama. Thank you for your concern. Has Sakura been in here all day?" The woman in question, who had been attempting to select china for the reception, was maneuvering her way around family members and yards of silk that came in a wide array of colors.

"Neji!" she practically cheered as she embraced him warmly and kissed his cheek before taking Fubuki in her arms.

"Not all day Neji-nii-san. We did have a break at dinner about two hours ago," Hanabi said with her blush still intact.

Glaring at his family he ushered Sakura and her light eyed pet out of the room. Before he closed the door he turned back to resume glaring at his family members.

"We will discuss this absurd behavior later. Sakura will stay the night here again Hiashi-sama." With a nod from his uncle, he turned to follow Sakura who was headed to his room.

"So have the boys demolished my apartment yet?" Sakura asked as they entered his room. Neji moved to his dresser and opened it looking around for some clothes.

"Not that I could see." Neji handed her another black shirt and was surprised to find Sakura holding a bag of clothes.

Seeing his questioning glance Sakura shrugged.

"Hinata went out today so I asked her to pick up some necessaries from my house. And no, that does not mean you can have your shirt back," she said with her hands on her hips.

Neji chuckled as he headed for the bathroom to take a much needed shower.

_I __don'__t think I'm ever going to get that shirt back..._

By the time he got out, Sakura was already changed and sleepily waiting for him to join her on the futon.

"So, I heard that you went on a mission with Naruto today," she said once he had settled next to her but once again on top of the covers.

"I did."

"Did he threaten you?" she asked with her big green eyes gazing up at him.

"Yes, but it was no worse then what I said to him when he began courting Hinata-sama." Sakura giggled and got as close as she could with the blanket in the way. She quickly got fed up.

"Neji, your being ridiculous. Get under the covers," she commanded. He didn't dare disobey.

As he shifted around he could feel a small object weighing down the blanket near his feet. Fubuki was curled up at the base of the futon already snoozing and making a soft purring noise.

Sakura sighed as she settled into Neji's build inhaling his purely masculine sent.

I could seriously get used to this…

"Sakura, I apologize for my families excitement." His voice came out as a whisper but he knew she heard him.

Sakura giggled and then yawned.

"Nonsense. I was actually enjoying it after the introductions were over. I like your family. Your uncle has wonderful taste."

You are his favorite nephew after all.

"I'm glad you like them."

He watched her drift off as he brushed her hair way from her face periodically. He took in his surroundings and couldn't help but feel content with the way things were right at this very moment.

_They will be like this every morning from mow on._

he thought as he too drifted off to the sound of Sakura's breathing.

* * *

End Comments: So the next chapter is the last one. That makes me so sad. I would feel better about it if you reviewed. I want to knwo what you want to see next. I have three ideas in mind. One is full of drama and not much fun stuff. This one covers a span of about five years. The second is a sequel to this (but i have no idea what to write about so it may take a while). The thrid is my favorite. It has a little bit of everything and it will be really long. It will cover a span of about twenty years. So tell me what you want (my vote is on the third one) and i will attempt to get it up and finished by the end of the summer. I hope you liked this! The next chapter is much more funny I promise!!! 


	14. Mission Complete

Author's note: This is the last chapter boys and girls. It makes me a little sad. Anyway the final pairing for this story is Genma/Shizune. And that's all I have to say here so, Enjoy!!!

Summary: Tsunade decides that Sakura has been single for far too long. With the help of a jutsu can Tsunade shove her apprentice in the right direction for love and hopefully a couple of adorable grandkids? NejiXSakura.

Disclaimer: I dot not own Naruto or the characters therein.

* * *

_Did morning have to come so soon?_

Neji thought as he attempted to sit but found it to be impossible.

There was a comfortable weight resting on his body and a splash of silky pink hair against his chest and sheets. Some of the long pink strands were mixed in with his own chocolate ones.

I like the way that looks.

Neji smiled and looked down at the woman resting on him. Her breathing was steady and deep. Her pink hair brushed across her cheek bones and he couldn't help but admire the beautiful picture she was unconsciously allowing him to see.

After a few minutes he couldn't help himself any longer. He leaned down and placed a kiss on the forehead that she had grown into.

The kiss must have startled her a little because she nuzzled her face into his chest before slowly blinking her big green eyes open.

"…Neji…" she mumbled and then groaned obviously hoping to go back to sleep.

Neji chuckled and continued to watch as her head lifted off of his chest.

"Good morning, Sakura." A smile and a kiss on the cheek was his response as she rolled out of bed to go to the bathroom.

"Don't I get a real kiss?" he asked teasingly as she finished brushing her teeth.

Sakura grinned and ran a brush through her hair before making her way back to the futon and flopping down.

"Now that I've brushed my teeth you do," she said with a coy smile as she pulled his head down to meet hers.

Neji groaned in annoyance when he heard someone knocking on his door.

"Come in!" Sakura called as she shoved him towards the bathroom.

Who ever was on the other side was hesitating and with good reason too though Sakura assumed it was because it was Neji's room. Knowing Neji, not many people would dare to enter his living quarters for fear of having their heads chopped off.

Well, maybe it's because you're a woman and they are used to hearing a man answer this door? Just a hunch…

Sakura tried not to laugh as Neji walked to the door with the toothbrush still in his mouth and opened the door only to find a stunned Hyuuga on the other side.

Before anyone could say anything a very deep voice interrupted.

"See ya nameless Hyuuga. Yo Sakura-chan! Are all the family members so quiet? The guy wouldn't even give me his name." Having been dismissed by the dog-nin the shocked Hyuuga fled the scene.

"No Pakkun. I guess he's just not used to seeing a talking dog." Pakkun shrugged and sat down in front of the couple.

In the mean time Fubuki was already advancing on the small brown dog. Pakkun just ignored the little grey cat and got straight to business.

"I don't have a lot of chat time today Sakura-chan. Kakashi wants you to help lift the big screen TV you ordered for Gaara. After that the apartment is done and your mission is complete. See ya!" Neji glared at the little dog that was now stampeding through the Hyuuga halls.

"Does he always just bark out orders like that?" Neji asked though it came out a little muffled due to the toothpaste he had yet to spit out.

"Spit," Sakura commanded. Neji complied and then she continued. "No. He's only like that when he has an appointment at the groomers. He must be running late."

"When are you going back to your house?" Sakura looked at him and could tell that he didn't really want her to go anywhere.

"I'm going to head over there now so I can get back sooner. Why?" Neji shrugged and moved to stand behind her.

His arms feel so mice around my waist. Maybe I should just stay. Gaara doesn't really need the TV. Okay, so he does need the TV. He is the only person I know that wanted a TV more than he wanted a bed… stupid insomniac…

"I have training with Genma and Kakashi today. It won't take long. We should be done by lunch. I want to take you somewhere and then we are going shopping." Neji kissed her neck and she couldn't suppress the shudder that rippled through her.

"What are we shopping for?" Her voice was slightly breathy and Neji found that he quite liked the way she sounded at that moment.

"You are going to make this room Sakura friendly since I plan to have you stay here often," Neji said.

Sakura smiled and turned to give him a lingering kiss.

"I'll meet you at Ichiraku, okay?" Before Neji knew it Sakura was out the door.

He could hear her greeting people as she walked down the hallway. He activated his Byakugan to watch her and make sure she made it out of the compound with out being forced to plan into more wedding preparations.

But there was no family ambush waiting for her. Instead Neji was able to identify at least thirty pairs of chakra laden eyes directed towards his bedroom.

"Family, since when is the Byakugan used to spy on me in the morning?" he half asked half bellowed.

Realizing they had been caught the Hyuugas quickly averted their eyes and went about their business. Well, all except for one.

"Since you got a girlfriend Neji-nii-san! Get used to it!" bellowed Hanabi from outside somewhere.

Neji let out a big sigh.

Why does my family have to be so damn nosy? You would think that they have no love lives of their own. Oh, wait… that's because they don't.

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The walk home for Sakura was a happy one, full of greetings and smiles. She saw Ino and Chouji at a cafe and caught a glimpse of Temari dragging Shikamaru off to shop. Kiba and Akamaru were bringing Tenten flowers and Iruka was too busy flirting with Ayame to notice Sakura. Naruto was at Ichiraku and Shizune was searching high and low for Tsunade, who was skipping out of work for a mid day rendezvous with the sake bottle.

When she got to her house there was a large box wedged in her door. Voices could be heard from the other side.

"Alright push on the count of three. One, two, three." And then there was nothing.

"Good morning Kaka-sensei. Morning Gaara," she said in a sing-song voice.

"Help," was all Gaara had to say to get her to pull the box out of the door with ease.

The two male shinobi emerged one with his arms folded and the other scratching the back of his head.

"I don't know how they managed to get the box in the apartment in the first place," Kakashi said still scratching his head as he turned to Gaara who seemed content to just glare at his monstrosity of a TV.

"Well, whatever. I'll just take this upstairs and set it up." With that Sakura lifted the box with one arm and made her way up the stairs to Gaara's new apartment.

"Isn't it annoying how she does that?" Kakashi asked Gaara with a bit of humor and pride showing through.

"Yeah."

"Come on you two! We have to finish this apartment up!" Both men trudged up the stairs to help place throw pillows in their proper place.

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"There Gaara-kun. Your house is ready to live in!" Sakura cheered.

Gaara nodded and looked around. He really did like the place. It was cozy and there were pictures of his important people everywhere.

"Sakura, come by this evening. Bring Neji and Naruto with you." Gaara said as Sakura began to leave.

"Why? Are you having a party or something?" she teased.

Gaara smiled but since his back was turned to his two guests they would never see it.

"Yeah, something like that." Sakura grinned and practically skipped out the door.

Her trip to the Hokage building was short but she ended up waiting in the hallway for a good thirty minutes before Tsunade's meeting with Gai was over.

As soon as the overly enthusiastic man was out of ear shot Tsunade slumped in her chair and sighed.

"All I asked for was a simple mission brief… And I got a detailed version of his life history!" Tsunade rubbed her temples and then turned to Sakura. "Is Gaara settled?"

"Yes Tsunade-shishou," she said as she sat down.

Tsunade, for her part, seemed pleased if not still a little miffed. The older woman couldn't help but notice that no matter how hard she tried, Sakura couldn't seem to wipe the ever growing smile on her face.

I think it worked. Oh, grandkids here I come!

"So Sakura, did it work?" the blonde woman asked with a smirk. Sakura's blush was enough of an answer but Tsunade decided to humor her student.

"Yes shishou it did."

Tsunade thought, getting impatient. 

"Well, who was it?" she asked taking in the fact that the ANBU shirt that Sakura was still wearing was far too large for her and obviously belong to a man.

Please tell me I was right. Just this once tell me my gamble paid off.

"The jutsu chose Hyuuga Neji. He asked me to court him." Tsunade held her breath waiting for the rest of it. But when the rest of it never came and she started to turn blue she decided to pull it out of her apprentice.

"So what did you say?!?" Tsunade was gripping her desk so hard she was sure it was going to break any second. Sakura's blush only got worse and then she lifted her head to show her shishou the biggest smile to cross Sakura's face yet.

"I said yes!"

This simple statement sent both women back to their early teen stages and they started jumping and squealing like twelve year olds.

After they had calmed down a bit Tsunade gave Sakura a hug and settled back in her chair.

"So are you happy with the choice?" she asked as she folded her hands on her desk.

"Yes. He's so nice and sweet. And we were already friends to start off with. And he practically said that he planned on marrying me last night! Can you believe? I just can't believe that he is serious about possibly marrying me…" Sakura rambled with her hands on her flaming red cheeks.

"Of course he wants to marry you. He'd be and idiot if he didn't want to. I bet he's a closet romantic. You probably blush a lot abound him. Hell, your blushing right now. I don't blame you. With a boyfriend like that I'd look like a lobster all the time. He is rather handsome isn't he?" Tsunade asked with a wink, not expecting an answer. "I know you must have plans with the boy so get going. I want to hear all the juicy details after your shift at the hospital tomorrow morning."

"Sure thing Tsunade-shishou!" Sakura called as she ran out of the office, already excited about seeing Neji for lunch.

Tsunade sighed a content and happy sigh as she leaned back in her chair once more. She rested for a few minutes and then, rather suddenly, the gleam was back in her eyes.

One down, one more to go… Grandkids here I come!

"Shizune! Come in here!" A flustered woman burst through the door looking for the emergency.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama, what is it?" she asked calming down a little bit.

Tsunade folded her hands one her desk and took a good look at her assistant.

"I was just wondering but how are things going for you right now? In your love life, I mean." Shizune looked confused but then decided to just answer the odd question in a slightly dejected tone.

"They're not." Tsunade nodded and then put up her best act.

"Hmm, that's a shame. Well, no matter. That's not what I called you in for. Come stand over here for a minute and hold your hands out."

A few minutes later a resounding screech was heard through out the village.

"Tsunade-sama!!!"

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Out on training ground six three tired men finished up their training session.

"I have to go soon. I'm meeting Sakura for lunch today," Neji said as he picked up a stray kunai.

"Alright man, see ya! Hey Kakashi, you wanna head to the bar?"

Neji was about to leave when all of the sudden Genma started glowing a rather familiar shade of red. He turned to look at Kakashi and found that the older jounin was already looking at him with a rather devious twinkle in his eye.

"I'll place a bet for you when Kiba asks."

Neji chuckled and walked off ready to tell Sakura what he had just seen when a loud wail erupted from the forest.

"Aw shit!"

Neji could only chuckle harder. He got the impression that he would be doing that a lot more of that in the future.

* * *

End Comments: Sorry if the ending sucked but that was where I had planned on leaving it when I came up with the idea. I want to say a big thanks to all of you who reviewed and to all of you silent people who just read the story. I won't leave you much time to mourn over the end of this fic cause I'm starting a new one. I'll be honest and say that #1 got maybe 1 vote and #2 got about 3 votes. The clear winner was #3. I want to have the first chapter up by the end of the week. Now for thosee of you who did want to see a sequel to this I might put up a three or four chapter follow up story all about the wedding. But I really dont see the point because there is going to be a wedding and kids in the next story. So I hoped you liked this story and stay in tune for my next one. Love ya!!! 


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